Prospective Students

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Dr. Joe Allen's Adolescence Research Group is hiring current 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years to start the Spring 2025 semester!

About our study: Our primary focus, the KLIFF/VIDA Project, is a longitudinal study of the transition from adolescence to adulthood and the changes that occur within this time period. We want to understand what about the teenage years predicts future success - which we examine in terms of mental health, physical health, and friendship and relationship factors. We are funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and have now been following our original sample of 184 participants for over 25 years.  

Working in our lab: Our research assistants earn 2 credits for 6 hours/week of work. Research assistants for our study work on a variety of tasks, such as conducting participant visits, data entry and checking, transcribing, and other administrative tasks. Students who work on the project for multiple semesters have the opportunity to take on higher-level responsibilities (such as data cleaning and contacting participants) and can apply to complete a Distinguished Majors Project with Dr. Allen. We are looking for research assistants who are detail-oriented, good at time management, and passionate about psychology! We ask for a 2-semester commitment and offer opportunities for optional paid work over the summer.

If you're interested, please submit a resume, unofficial transcript, and statement of interest to Research Coordinators Lauren Breeden and Jacob Moore at vidaatuva@gmail.com by the end of day on Tuesday, October 15th. In your statement (just a paragraph or two), please be sure to include your research interests/goals. We will conduct informal interviews for a select group of applicants the week of October 21st. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Research Coordinators Lauren Breeden and Jacob Moore at vidaatuva@gmail.com.

Thanks for your interest! 

Lauren & Jacob
vidaatuva@gmail.com

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Professor Allen is not currently accepting graduate students for admission.

Please feel free to review our laboratory's current research and those of others in the department to be sure that you think the University of Virginia is a good fit for your interests. For more information specific to the graduate program in Clinical Psychology, please visit the department website