Graduate study opportunities in the lab for 2023
The Hamann lab is actively recruiting graduate students for the 2022-2023 cycle (applications during Fall 2022).
For answers to commonly asked questions, please see below:
Are you accepting graduate students this year?
Yes! We will be considering applications this cycle for graduate student enrollment in the fall of 2022. Prospective students may apply through the clinical science or cognitive and computational science areas in the department of psychology.
Which students would be a good fit with your lab?
We are looking for students with strong interests in cognitive neuroscience and either memory or emotion (or both memory and emotion). The lab's research focuses on understanding basic psychological and brain mechanisms of memory and emotion using a combination of techniques including: functional MRI, study of patients with focal brain lesions of the medial temporal lobe (hippocampus and amygdala), cognitive tasks, psychophysiology, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and through a collaborative multisite project with lab alum Dr. Cory Inman at University of Utah, deep brain stimulation of the amygdala. Recent projects in the lab have focused on understanding the neural organization of emotion, how emotional memory is forgotten differently from non-emotional memory, effects of amygdala lesions on emotional responses, and how brain networks support the dynamic reactivation of autobiographical memory retrieval content. Although our focus is on understanding basic mechanisms, the area of emotional memory has overlap with clinical psychology, and some lab alums have gone on to do work in clinical neuroscience, such as Jennifer Stevens at the Grady Trauma Project. We welcome CS area students who have an interest in our research.
Can I contact you before applying to see if I would be a good fit?
Yes, I would be happy to discuss our lab's research with interested students. Prior to a call, it would be particularly helpful for you to provide me a CV (resume), a brief statement of research interests, and a note about why you are particularly interested in the lab and Emory.
What makes an applicant competitive for your lab?
Most applicants typically have completed a BA/BS degree in psychology, neuroscience or a related field, but this is not strictly required. Prior research experience and some familiarity with basic programming is a major plus, with research being the more important factor. Also, the fit between your interests and our research is also important.
What is the role of students in your lab and what is your mentorship style?
All students will have opportunities to both contribute to ongoing projects as well as develop their own areas of research within the lab’s broader focus. I also promote opportunities for collaboration with related laboratories, and former students have frequently worked with and published papers with our collaborators. Students are expected to be involved in all stages of research from the initial conceptual stage, to implementation (experimental design and programming), data collection, analysis, and publication, and are expected to attend conferences, submit fellowship grant applications, and participate in the broader scientific community. We have weekly lab meetings, supplemented by a weekly research assistants meeting with our group of very skilled undergraduate research assistants, and every graduate student meets individually with me for at least one hour a week, frequently more if we are writing a paper or preparing for a conference. I have an informal mentoring style and have had the pleasure of having a wide variety of students from diverse backgrounds in the lab over the years. I welcome any questions you may have about diversity and inclusion, or any other questions you may have about Emory.
Please contact me, Stephan Hamann, at shamann [at sign] emory.edu for more information.
Application details can be found on the main Psychology Department website:
http://psychology.emory.edu/home/graduate/
For answers to commonly asked questions, please see below:
Are you accepting graduate students this year?
Yes! We will be considering applications this cycle for graduate student enrollment in the fall of 2022. Prospective students may apply through the clinical science or cognitive and computational science areas in the department of psychology.
Which students would be a good fit with your lab?
We are looking for students with strong interests in cognitive neuroscience and either memory or emotion (or both memory and emotion). The lab's research focuses on understanding basic psychological and brain mechanisms of memory and emotion using a combination of techniques including: functional MRI, study of patients with focal brain lesions of the medial temporal lobe (hippocampus and amygdala), cognitive tasks, psychophysiology, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and through a collaborative multisite project with lab alum Dr. Cory Inman at University of Utah, deep brain stimulation of the amygdala. Recent projects in the lab have focused on understanding the neural organization of emotion, how emotional memory is forgotten differently from non-emotional memory, effects of amygdala lesions on emotional responses, and how brain networks support the dynamic reactivation of autobiographical memory retrieval content. Although our focus is on understanding basic mechanisms, the area of emotional memory has overlap with clinical psychology, and some lab alums have gone on to do work in clinical neuroscience, such as Jennifer Stevens at the Grady Trauma Project. We welcome CS area students who have an interest in our research.
Can I contact you before applying to see if I would be a good fit?
Yes, I would be happy to discuss our lab's research with interested students. Prior to a call, it would be particularly helpful for you to provide me a CV (resume), a brief statement of research interests, and a note about why you are particularly interested in the lab and Emory.
What makes an applicant competitive for your lab?
Most applicants typically have completed a BA/BS degree in psychology, neuroscience or a related field, but this is not strictly required. Prior research experience and some familiarity with basic programming is a major plus, with research being the more important factor. Also, the fit between your interests and our research is also important.
What is the role of students in your lab and what is your mentorship style?
All students will have opportunities to both contribute to ongoing projects as well as develop their own areas of research within the lab’s broader focus. I also promote opportunities for collaboration with related laboratories, and former students have frequently worked with and published papers with our collaborators. Students are expected to be involved in all stages of research from the initial conceptual stage, to implementation (experimental design and programming), data collection, analysis, and publication, and are expected to attend conferences, submit fellowship grant applications, and participate in the broader scientific community. We have weekly lab meetings, supplemented by a weekly research assistants meeting with our group of very skilled undergraduate research assistants, and every graduate student meets individually with me for at least one hour a week, frequently more if we are writing a paper or preparing for a conference. I have an informal mentoring style and have had the pleasure of having a wide variety of students from diverse backgrounds in the lab over the years. I welcome any questions you may have about diversity and inclusion, or any other questions you may have about Emory.
Please contact me, Stephan Hamann, at shamann [at sign] emory.edu for more information.
Application details can be found on the main Psychology Department website:
http://psychology.emory.edu/home/graduate/
