Graduate Students
Dr. McCullough is accepting applications for Fall 2024.
Below you will find the answers to commonly asked questions about becoming a graduate student at the Center for Research on Experimental Evolutionary Psychology.
What type of research do you do?
Dr. McCullough’s research is almost exclusively in the realm of evolution and human behavior, otherwise known as evolutionary psychology. The grand goal of all of this work is to understand the mechanisms that generate behavior by developing hypotheses that emerge from evolutionary biological theories.
What projects are you currently working on?
Please refer to the research page.
What type of program will I enter?
Students will enter the Department of Psychology’s graduate program in the social area.
What types of coursework will prepare me for work in the Center for Research on Experimental Evolutionary Psychology?
Students with a strong interest in the biological sciences and some preparation in biology, evolutionary psychology, or physical anthropology do well in the lab.
What other faculty on campus could I take classes or do research with?
UCSD is fortunate to have dozens of top researchers in psychology, cognitive science, and human evolution. Students are encouraged to consider obtaining a specialization in anthropogeny or a secondary PhD in cognitive science, and to explore the research interests of other faculty both inside and outside of the department of psychology.
What does a typical semester look like for a student in the graduate program?
You can view a general timeline for coursework and milestones here and a list of first year requirements here.
When is the deadline to apply?
Please check the UCSD Department of Psychology website for the application’s due date. For more information on how to apply, visit the department of psychology’s prospective students page.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
The Center for Research on Experimental Evolutionary Psychology invites highly-motivated, dedicated individuals with an interest in scientific research to join our team of research assistants (RAs).
RAs have three main responsibilities in the lab:
Running experiments
RAs receive thorough training in how to run experimental sessions with participants. During experimental sessions, RAs are responsible for interacting with one or more participants at a time and collecting data. Data collection can include administration of physiological measures (e.g., saliva samples to measure neuroendocrine hormones; cardiovascular measures), anthropomorphic measures (e.g., handgrip strength), behavioral measures (e.g., decisions to cooperate or cheat in an economics game), and cognitive tasks (e.g., tests of working memory capacity).Coding data
RAs enter data into Excel and SPSS (a statistical analysis program) and are trained in coding schemes to label qualitative and quantitative data into categories for further analysis.Conducting literature reviews
RAs conduct literature reviews to consolidate the major theoretical and methodological findings of a research topic of interest to the lab. They share their findings with the lab in the form of a bibliography, report, or presentation.
For UCSD undergraduate students:
The Center for Research on Experimental Evolutionary Psychology accepts applications for new RAs at the end of every quarter.
RAs can volunteer or participate for credit (PSYC 99/199), earning either 2 units (6 hours/week) or 4 units (12 hours/week) each quarter. We are particularly interested in RAs who would like to work in the lab for multiple quarters. Dr. McCullough is open to serving as a thesis adviser to students in the honors program who have made a significant commitment to working in the lab.
Additional information about undergraduate research can be found on the department of psychology’s website and the listing for this position can be found on the REAL Portal.
If you are interested in joining the lab, please fill out this form. Please send any questions to the lab manager Annabel Dang (avd002@ucsd.edu).