Prospective PhD Applicants (2026–2027 Cycle): 

I am excited to be reviewing PhD applications for the 2026–2027 admissions cycle and anticipate recruiting 1–2 students in Clinical Psychology and/or Cognition, Brain, and Perception (CBP).

Students who are interested in joining the lab should have research interests that align with our three core research themes, and these interests should be clearly articulated in both the personal statement and research statement. Your statements are extremely important in my review of you material. Templated, non-specific, and AI-generated content will not be given much attention or help you get an interview. You should make a detailed case about your interest in the lab and how you will want to pursue the research topics listed above. Ideal applicants will have interests in areas such as advanced statistics, data science/coding, neuropsychology, and biomarkers, as these are central components of our work.

To ensure fairness in the admissions process, I do not schedule individual meetings with applicants prior to the application deadline and may not be able to respond to all inquiry emails. I strongly encourage prospective applicants to explore the lab website and connect with current graduate students, who can provide valuable perspectives on our research, mentoring style, training opportunities, and life in the program. Applications to the PhD training programs are typically due in November, and I may reach out to selected applicants for a brief pre-screening conversation prior to formal interview invitations, which are generally anticipated in December/January.

Dr. Clark's Tips for Prospective PhD Applicants

The strongest applicants demonstrate intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and a clear understanding of how their interests fit within the lab's research program. While research experience is important, I am often most interested in how applicants think about scientific questions and whether they can engage deeply with ideas.

1. Read the Lab's Work and Think Critically About It

The best way to prepare an application is to spend time exploring the lab website, recent publications, and ongoing projects. Rather than simply stating that you are interested in cognitive aging, dementia, health disparities, or neuropsychology, I encourage applicants to think critically about the work and identify specific questions that interest them.

Strong applicants are often able to articulate:

• What aspect of the research program excites them most.
• Questions they believe remain unanswered.
• How they might extend or build upon existing projects.
• New directions, methods, or populations they would be interested in studying. I am less interested in hearing that you have read a paper than I am in seeing evidence that you have thought deeply about the ideas and implications of that work.

2. Use the Personal Statement to Demonstrate Intellectual Fit

Your personal and research statements are among the most important parts of your application.

Statements that are highly general, templated, or written in a way that could be sent to dozens of faculty members do not provide much information about your fit with the lab. Similarly, broad statements about wanting to "help people" or being interested in "neuropsychology and dementia" are unlikely to distinguish you from other applicants. The strongest statements clearly explain:

• Why you are interested in the lab specifically.
• Which research themes most closely align with your interests.
• What scientific questions you hope to pursue in graduate school.
• How your previous experiences have prepared you for those questions. I want to understand how you think as a scientist, not simply what experiences you have accumulated.

3. Quantitative and Computational Skills Are Valuable

Our research program relies heavily on advanced quantitative methods, longitudinal data analysis, data science, and interdisciplinary approaches to studying cognitive aging and dementia. Applicants do not need to be statistical experts, but experience with coding and quantitative analysis is highly valued. Familiarity with R is particularly beneficial, and applicants should review the coding, analytic, and methodological content available through the lab website to better understand the types of skills used in our research.

More importantly than any specific software package, I look for evidence that students are excited about learning quantitative methods and using them to answer meaningful scientific questions.

4. Focus on Ideas, Not Buzzwords

Many applicants can list interests such as Alzheimer's disease, health disparities, biomarkers, social determinants of health, or neuropsychology. Fewer applicants can explain how these topics connect to one another or generate thoughtful research questions that advance the field.

The strongest applications demonstrate an ability to think abstractly and conceptually about scientific problems. Applicants who can integrate ideas across levels of analysis—from structural and social determinants of health to biological mechanisms and cognitive outcomes—tend to be particularly good fits for the lab.

5. There Is No Substitute for Preparation

If you are interested in joining the lab, the single best thing you can do is spend time reviewing the materials already available through the lab website, publications, and posted CV. These resources provide a detailed overview of the lab's scientific priorities, current projects, methodological approaches, and future directions.

Applicants who invest time in understanding the work and thinking critically about where the science should go next are often the ones who stand out most during the review process.

6. Curiosity, Independence, and a Love of Learning Matter

Perhaps the most important quality I look for in prospective students is intellectual curiosity. The strongest scientists are not simply those who accumulate experiences or technical skills, but those who are genuinely interested in understanding how the world works and are willing to invest the time and effort required to answer difficult questions.

I value students who:

• Read broadly and engage with new ideas.
• Ask thoughtful questions.
• Seek answers independently before asking others to solve problems for them.
• Enjoy learning new methods, theories, and approaches.
• Are willing to try new things and work through challenges.
• Demonstrate persistence when faced with uncertainty or setbacks. Research often involves solving problems that do not have clear answers. The students who thrive in our lab are typically those who enjoy the process of figuring things out, thinking critically about evidence, and continually pushing their understanding further. Demonstrating these qualities in your application, research experiences, and personal statement can be just as important as any specific technical skill.

7. Consider Whether the Program Is a Good Fit for Your Long-Term Goals

Our laboratory is part of a research-intensive training environment, and students should be excited about pursuing research as a central component of their future careers. Applicants interested in developing expertise in scientific inquiry, quantitative methods, grant writing, and academic research are likely to be particularly strong fits. While our students receive excellent clinical training, applicants whose primary career goals are centered on clinical service delivery rather than research may find that other training environments are a better match for their interests. Students who are most successful in the lab are those who view research as a major part of their professional identity and future career trajectory.