Lab Philosophy & Opportunities
What do we value as a lab outside of research?
Regardless of the specific research questions we are trying to answer, we strive to maintain the highest level of scientific integrity, as well as making our science open and reproducible.
Diversity, equity and inclusion: the lab should be a safe space in which every member belongs and thrives.
Mentorship and career support: whatever any lab member wants to achieve beyond their stay in the lab, we help each other and share resources to make it happen!
Mental well-being and work-life balance: we all have a life beyond the lab, which we should value and intentionally take time for, whether it’s hobbies, friends, family, sports, traveling or just alone time!
What are opportunities to join the lab?
The lab currently does not have any open full-time/paid position, but read below for some opportunities to get involved and don't hesitate to reach out!
The lab will not be recruiting a graduate student in Fall 2025. Stay tuned for potential Fall 2026 opportunities (for general information, we can recruit graduate students through the Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science and through the Department of Psychology - CNS area).
Join as a part-time clinical staff. The lab will be looking to hire a part time clinical staff or postdoc with a PhD in clinical psychology or relevant clinical experience (recruitment and assessment of adults with autism), and with a strong interest in further developing their research skills in neuroimaging and/or computational modelling. Specific job posting will come soon, but please do reach out at ccharpen[at]umd[dot]edu if interested!
Join as an undergraduate research assistant: if you are an undergraduate student interested in joining the lab for research credits or as a summer volunteer/intern, please fill out this Undergraduate RA interest form, and we will reach out if your application matches some of our ongoing projects! This mostly applies to
Join as a visiting graduate student: this includes Master's students if you are able to complete your Master's thesis in a lab located at a different institution than where you are enrolled (remote supervision is also an option), or visiting PhD students if you would like to collaborate on a project and experience a different lab environment for a few months. To discuss these opportunities, please reach out at ccharpen[at]umd[dot]edu with your CV and a summary of your research interests.
Additional resources and useful information
For graduate school applicants:
Twitter thread combining a gold mine of information for prospective graduate students and the grad school application process:
Check here if you qualify for an application fee waiver at UMD.
Computer Programming skills:
The best Python bootcamp, by Justin Bois.
Twitter thread of resources to learn R as a psychologist.
Good coding practices: The Good Research Code Handbook, by Patrick Mineault.
Readings and Tutorials on Computational modeling:
See this document for detailed resources if you are looking to learn about computational modeling, both theoretically and practically.
Funding opportunities:
Up-to-date repository of early-career funding opportunities (mostly relevant for postdocs)