Research Experience Pathways

The REP program was created to provide underrepresented undergraduate students with real-world research experience to promote diversity and inclusion in academia and research. Students accepted into the REP program will be paired with a graduate student or post-doc mentor and a faculty sponsor who will provide them with one-on-one mentoring and guidance throughout the progression of a research project over the course of the semester. 

Accepted students will be able to earn wages for their research and will be funded through a newly developed work-study program called the Learning-Aligned Employment Program (LAEP). Students will also attend weekly professional development workshops where they will participate in journal club and will get to listen to the personal stories and scientific journeys of faculty and graduate students in the department. At the end of the semester, students will get to present their research projects at an informal poster session to other students and to the department.

1. LAEP Eligibility

Interested students must be eligible for LAEP in order to apply to the REP program. Students must meet all of the following criteria:

• California residents

• Enrolled in 6 or more units

• Filed a FAFSA or CADAA and have work-study eligibility

• Eligible to work in the U.S., including current DACA holders

You must also identify as being an underrepresented student to be able to participate in the LAEP work-study program. Their criteria info sheet can be found here.

2. Submit your application

If you meet all the criteria above and wish to apply,  you can fill out the REP Psychology application here or a REP Neuroscience application here. The application will ask you for your LAEP eligibility, academic transcript, resume/CV or your relevant work/volunteer experience, which research projects you are interested in, and some short response questions.

3. Interview Process

Selected students will be contacted by faculty and graduate students for a short interview. It is up to the faculty sponsor and graduate student mentor to decide whether to match with the student. 

4. Selection and Onboarding

Students who are selected after the interview process will be matched with their respective labs and will start onboarding process to be hired through LAEP for the upcoming Spring semester.