Who is eligible to join the STAR Lab? We are always on the lookout for bright, motivated, and detail-oriented undergraduate students to join the lab as volunteer research assistants. Preference will be given to students who have already completed undergraduate coursework in research methods and intermediate statistics and who have a GPA above 3.0, but exceptions can be made.
What would it look like to join the STAR Lab? Undergraduate students in our lab commit to working approximately 10 hours per week (unless otherwise explicitly arranged with Dr. Hagan). This time is dedicated to ongoing projects (recruiting participants, running lab visits, data entry, coding videos, working with survey data, etc.) and attending lab meetings. Although Dr. Hagan and and senior research staff are always available to answer questions, we expect that each student will be able to learn the skills needed to work independently.
What are the benefits of being a member of the STAR lab? Our goal is to create a learning environment that will help you develop skills and knowledge that support you in reaching your academic and professional goals. As a lab member, you will receive mentorship and training from Dr. Hagan as well as more formal resources like articles and book recommendations for topics you are interested in. In addition, this lab works closely with the Relationship, Emotions and Health lab (led by Dr. Sarah Holley), research labs at the University of California, San Francisco (where Dr. Hagan is an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry), and faculty at the Health Equity Institute. These collaborations open up opportunities for lab members to interface with students and faculty from other subject areas and to participate in research that is interdisciplinary.
Join the SF State Honor's Program!
High-performing (GPA 3.5 or above) undergraduate students in their junior year are also encouraged to contact Dr. Hagan about participating in the honor's thesis program. Applications to the honor's program are due the summer before your senior year.
What is the honor's program at SF State? This is a one-year experience that occurs the Fall and Spring of your senior year, if you are accepted. This program is strongly recommended for undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing graduate school. The program involves working closely with a faculty mentor and attending an honor's seminar Fall and Spring of your senior year PSY 693 and PSY 694 respectively - all with the goal of independently (with support) designing and implementing your own study and writing an honor's thesis based on the data collected and analyzed. The seminars and independent with study are worth 12 credits and fulfill the psychology elective requirement.
How do you apply to work with Dr. Hagan as part of the honors program? During the Spring semester of your junior year, you would reach out to Dr. Haganand discuss your interest in the program. Eligibility for the program and details on applying areavailable here.