Lab-Specific Admissions Information
The following information is provided to assist applicants in more fully understanding the specific qualities, characteristics, minimal qualifications, etc… that our specific labs and primary mentors are looking for in a competitive applicant. Please do not confuse the information below with requirements or strict criteria for a lab; instead, they are qualities of an ideal applicant. Note that having these qualities, characteristics, qualifications, etc… will guarantee neither your acceptance or your rejection from our doctoral program. Instead, the information below is intended only to assist applicants with understanding what our labs look for in competitive applicants.
Michelle Burns, Ph.D. (CBITS): Dr. Burns and her lab are looking for applicants with interests in LGBT youth and technology-assisted mental health treatment. Competitive applicants will have research experience that involves data analysis and manuscript preparation, as well as clinical or research experience working directly with adolescents.
Jackie Gollan, Ph.D. (SADLAB): Dr. Gollan and her lab are looking for applicants with interests in depression, women’s health, and treatment outcome research. Competitive applicants will have two or more years of experience working in a research lab, preferably with neuroscience (particularly fMRI) and/or clinical trial experience. They are especially interested in applicants who are self-starters, have a high level of curiosity in health sciences, are culturally aware, and enjoy working in teams.
Brian Hitsman, Ph.D. (ND): Dr. Hitsman and his lab are looking for applicants with interests in tobacco use, dependence, or cessation, especially among chronic medical or mental health populations. Competitive applicants will have supervised independent research experience (e.g., undergraduate honors/senior thesis). They are especially interested in applicants who are interested in applying for NIH or non-Federal research grant(s) to fund dissertation research.
Laurie Keefer, Ph.D. (CPRGD): Dr. Keefer and her lab are looking for applicants with an interest in behavioral medicine or health psychology. Competitive applicants will have work experience in a multidisciplinary research setting, preferably in a lab with NIH funding. They are especially interested in applicants who have a great degree of intellectual curiosity.
Molly Losh, Ph.D. (NDL): Dr. Losh and her lab are looking for applicants with an interest in language and social functioning in autism spectrum disorders. Competitive applicants will have prior research and clinical experience with individuals with autism spectrum disorder, fragile X, and/or related disabilities.
David Mohr, Ph.D. (CBITS): Dr. Mohr and his lab are looking for applicants with interests in the application of technology to mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety. Competitive applicants will have experience in web-based or mobile technology (particularly eHealth or mHealth interventions), and experience in computer programming.
James Reilly, Ph.D.: Dr. Reilly and his lab are looking for applicants who are interested in integrating both clinical and research activities into their training program. Competitive applicants will have prior neuropsychological, cognitive, or fMRI research experience with clinical populations, in particular major forms of psychopathology. They are especially interested in applicants who aim to pursue a career conducting clinical neuroscience research and providing clinical services in an academic medical setting.
Emily Rogalski, Ph.D. (CNADC): Dr. Rogalski and her lab are looking for applicants interested in better understanding the neurosicence of neurodegenerative diseases. Competitive applicants will have a strong background in the science of psychology, research experience in cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, or neuroimaging, experience administered neuropsychological measures, and evidence of research productivity (i.e., abstract or manuscripts).
Bonnie Spring, Ph.D., ABPP (HP-EBP): Dr. Spring and her lab are looking for applicants with a background and interest in health psychology or technology-supported interventions. Competitive applicants will have experience in intervention delivery and statistical analysis. They are especially interested in applicants with a positive, proactive, collaborative, and flexible orientation.
Linda A. Teplin, Ph.D. and Karen M. Abram (HDPP): Drs. Teplin, Abram and their lab seek applicants interested in health disparities in underserved populations. Our students work with data from the Northwestern Juvenile Project – a large-scale, longitudinal study of the health needs and outcomes of delinquent youth – and other funded projects. The most competitive applicants will have completed independent research projects (such as an undergraduate honors thesis or master’s thesis) and participated in large-scale research studies of high-risk populations.
Lei Wang, Ph.D. (NIACAL): Dr. Wang and his lab are looking for applicants interested in using the tools of computational anatomy to identify complex biomarkers for schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Competitive applicants will have prior research experience with neuroimaging. They are especially interested in applicants who are independent and take the initiative.
Additional Lab Descriptions are Forthcoming!