We are constantly performing research on human subjects using psychophysics, behavioral genetics, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; both functional and structural). Typically, we recruit subjects from the undergraduate and graduate students at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). However, we also perform research on other specific populations, such as normally aging adults or patients with particular diseases, including strokes, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and Alzheimer’s disease. All of our research is approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UCI, which ensures that our subjects and their data remain safe and confidential. Our research is published in leading peer-reviewed research journals around the world, and we would not be able to do that without volunteers! If you are interested in being a subject, please vist the Research tab above or email us about a particular opportunity.
There are three primary ways that you can join the research team: as an undergraduate research assistant, as a graduate student, or as a post-doctoral researcher. Our lab is very much like a small, non-profit company whose funding is primarily from state and federal research grants and whose product is neuroscience research. All potential applicants must be motivated, dedicated, and comfortable working closely with a small group of other researchers under Dr. Brewer’s leadership.
The ideal undergraduate research assistant candidate has declared their major in cognitive sciences/psychology or biology (neurobiology concentration), has a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, intends to go on to graduate school in Psychology, Neurobiology, Medicine, or a related discipline (e.g., for a Master’s degree, a Ph.D., or an M.D.), and is willing to commit to at least one year of research for ~8-12 hours each week when school is in session (exceptions can be made for exam weeks). It is beneficial to have taken a course with Dr. Brewer. Previous research experience is also potentially useful, but we will work with you to train you on the procedures and background material specific to our lab. Concurrent research in another laboratory is usually not feasible if you are also taking a full set of classes each term. Undergraduate students are typically not paid, but receive research course credit in Psych 199. Volunteering in lab (i.e., not registering for units) is also an option.
If you are interested in applying to be an undergraduate research assistant, please fill click the button below to fill out the application and follow the instructions.
In order to be a graduate student researcher, one must be a graduate student enrolled in the Cognitive Science or Cognitive Neuroscience Ph.D. programs at UCI. For information about becoming a graduate student, please visit the UCI Cognitive Sciences Graduate Program website. When applying, choose Dr. Brewer as a professor with whom you are interested in working. It is recommended to contact professors you are interested in working with prior to submitting your application. The ideal candidate has a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Psychology or a related field, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, exceptional scores on all aspects of the Graduate Records Examination (GRE), excellent math (particularly statistics), programming (particularly Matlab), and communication skills (fluent written and oral English), and a minimum of two years of research experience in a Psychology, Neurobiology, or Neuroscience research laboratory (particularly in human or primate perceptual systems).
There are currently no funded post-doctoral researcher positions available. If you are a postdoc with current personal grant funding or would like to apply for postdoc funding through the mindSPACE Lab, please contact Dr. Brewer to discuss your options.