We are looking for motivated, dedicated students to join our team!

Opportunities for Graduate Students

Interested in graduate study in Developmental Science at Florida International University? The Project on Language and Spatial Development offers many research opportunities for graduate students. We have a large research space with state-of-the-art equipment. We conduct research using both eye-tracking and behavioral methodologies. Our research interests include language and spatial development in children ranging from 3 years through 7 years, and in college students and emerging adulthood. Please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Shannon Pruden with questions. For more information about the Developmental Science graduate program in the Department of Psychology, please visit Developmental Science Graduate Program.

Dr. Pruden is accepting a new graduate student for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please contact Dr. Shannon Pruden if you are interested in applying to work as a graduate student in her lab. Dr. Pruden is interested in students with experience in working with young children and/or experience in cognitive or developmental psychology.

Opportunities for Undergraduate and Post-Bac Students at FIU

Are you an FIU undergraduate interested in learning about how developmental psychology research is done? FIU undergraduates can work in the lab for course credit. As a research assistant, you will learn about all of our studies in language and spatial development, meet the children and families that visit our lab, help with our recruitment efforts, and learn how to code children’s responses. Working in our lab is a great way to see how psychology studies are created and run. Our research assistants often co-author conference presentations and publications. If this sounds like something you are interested doing, please fill out our application and email it to us.

Opportunities for Interns from other Universities

We also have a limited number of summer research opportunities for undergraduate students from other universities. Please contact Dr. Shannon Pruden if you are interested in applying to work as a summer intern in her lab.

Requesting a Letter of Recommendation From Dr. Pruden

Are you requesting a letter of recommendation from Dr. Pruden? Please follow the steps below to submit a request for a recommendation.

1. Please either ask Dr. Pruden in person (preferably) or via email if she would consider writing a letter for you. Dr. Pruden reserves the right to decline if she feels that she cannot write a strong letter on your behalf. Whenever possible, allow 2-3 weeks for your letter writers as a courtesy.

2. Take the time to research your options and formulate a career plan. If you don’t know, ask. Get lots of advice from different people, especially those who have the degree/job you want. You will need to tell Dr. Pruden this information.

3. Send the final list of schools/jobs. You need to include the addresses/contact info for each letter that you’ll need. Dr. Pruden prefers to upload electronically whenever possible. Tell Dr. Pruden if she will receive a link to submit my letter. This is important, since it could go to spam.

4. Send Dr. Pruden your personal statement and/or supporting information for your application. You can also include a list of attributes that make you the right choice for the position you are applying to. Think carefully about what you’d like Dr. Pruden to say in my letter.

5. Arrange an appointment with Dr. Pruden (if possible) to further discuss your career goals.