For Students
Interested in joining the lab?
Looking to work in the lab as a research assistant? The lab is certainly interested in recruiting research assistant to work in the lab. Because the lab will just be beginning, new RAs will get the opportunity to see the inner workings of establishing a new development lab and will also be able to start working on new projects from their inception. Note: Fall 2024 opportunities may be limited as the M&M team works on putting the necessary infrastructure in place to support lab operations. Prospective research assistants should express their interest by emailing mindmoralitylab-manager@brown.edu and attaching a copy of their CV/resume.
Looking to apply to the graduate program? Dr. Marshall will be reviewing Ph.D. applications for Fall 2025 admission into her lab. For more information on Brown’s application process, please have a look at the CLPS website. You can also see below for additional information on advice about applying.
Looking to apply as a postdoc? Dr. Marshall will be looking to recruit a postdoc starting in summer 2025. If you’re interested in working as a postdoc in the lab, please email her (julia_marshall1@brown.edu) with a copy of your CV. For those who are interested in a postdoc position, we recommend you reach out quite in advance so that we could have ample time to collaborate on grant proposals to financially support the position.
FAQs for prospective graduate students
What is the lab studying?
As described on the Projects page, the lab is broadly interested in social cognitive development. In particular, the lab’s core interest revolves around answering questions about cooperation and morality. Most typically, we do studies with children, but we also often do studies with adults to supplement our understanding of children’s behavior & reasoning.
If topics related to morality, social cognition, and cooperation are of interest to you, we would encourage you to check out the lab! The hope is that graduate students will have a sense of a topic that they are interested in exploring with some concrete research questions in mind. In your personal statement, we would encourage applicants to discuss what topic and research questions are of most interest to them and why. There is no expectation, though, to present a very specific study idea, as study ideas will certainly evolve and change over time.
What will it be like to work in the lab?
Considering the lab is just starting, working in the lab at this point will provide students and staff the opportunity to shape the culture and establish social norms and practices. Dr. Marshall is deeply committed to cultivating an open, diverse, and scientific workplace that will allow students and staff to conduct rigorous developmental science. If you’re interested in helping to establish such a culture, then we would encourage you to apply.
What should I do if I want to join the lab?
If you are interested in working the lab as a graduate student, all you need to do is apply. If you would like, you can email Dr. Marshall regarding your interest along with a CV, but you are by no means required to do so.
I want to study a topic that isn’t mentioned. Is that okay?
As described above, the lab’s interests are quite diverse, and Dr. Marshall’s hope is that graduate students will be motivated to develop their own independent research programs. If you have a question about fit, we would encourage you to email Dr. Marshall. Broadly speaking, though, most questions related to social cognitive development are of interest to me.
I have never worked with kids before. Should I apply?
It is not imperative to have experience working in a developmental lab previously to apply to the lab. If this is the case for you, we would encourage you to clarify your interests in social and moral psychology generally and describe how you think developmental approaches may or may not help to address questions of interest.