Social-Personality Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Program

It is the mission of the SPUR program to expand opportunities for training and mentorship to those students who our field has historically left behind. The program was originally conceived as an intensive summer internship in the methods of social and personality psychology for undergraduates from historically underrepresented racial groups. Participating students conducted research and research-related activities full-time for 8 weeks with a participating mentor and lab over the summer.

The new SPUR program began in 2021. SPUR trainees work together with mentors and their labs to complete an independent project during the March to December SPUR experience. SPUR trainees will complete a poster at the close of the program summarizing the project.

In addition to this 1-on-1 research experience, trainees will virtually attend four professional development seminars to assist trainees in creating a strong skillset for promoting success in graduate school. These training modules will include (1) topical seminars from leading experts in social-personality psychology, (2) research methods and statistics training through the statistical package R, (3) application and general preparation for graduate school, and (4) basic academic skills training that includes survey design and literature search. The expectation of the SPUR program is that trainees will develop skills and experiences during SPUR that they will convert into applications to PhD programs in social-personality psychology programs.

Eligible trainees will be from historically underrepresented racial backgrounds who are either currently enrolled in college or recent graduates (within 2 years of college graduation) and intending to apply to PhD programs in social-personality psychology. Trainees in the program will receive a free SPSP membership, an SPSP convention registration award, and $1500 for their mentored research time for approximately 120 hours worked across the months of the SPUR program.

The Social-Personality Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Program was originally created as a summer research internship for students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in social-personality psychology. In 2021, the program transitioned into a March to December model with a similar mission—to expand opportunities for research experience for students from historically underrepresented racial backgrounds. Notably, the new SPUR program will seek to foster training and community engagement through virtual connections.

Mentors with active research labs at graduate or undergraduate institutions who are (1) amenable to working virtually with a SPUR trainee and (2) interested in supporting SPUR’s mission to provide opportunities to students from historically underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to be SPUR mentors.

SPUR mentors must:

• be personality or social psychology faculty (in any department)
• have an active research lab at undergraduate or graduate research institutions
• be SPSP members
• have a capacity to mentor SPUR trainees online through chat and video conferencing platforms

Mentor awards: SPUR mentors will receive $400 for research expenses during the course of the SPUR program for each SPUR trainee they agree to sponsor

Applications Closed

The Social-Personality Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Program was originally created as a summer research internship for students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in social-personality psychology. In 2021, the program transitioned into a March to December model with a similar mission—to expand opportunities for research experience for students from historically underrepresented racial backgrounds. Notably, the new SPUR program seeks to foster training and community engagement through virtual connections.

Interested in participating as a student?

Eligible trainees will:

• be from historically underrepresented racial backgrounds
• be currently enrolled in college or recent graduates (within 2 years of college graduation) of a four-year college or university
• have a strong interest in applying to PhD programs in social-personality psychology
• Be given priority if they do not have an active lab in their field of interest at their home institution

Trainee expectations during the program:

• Attend the 2023 SPUR virtual launch
• Design and make regular progress on an independent research project with the help of a SPUR mentor
• Attend the four virtual workshops for skill development on the path to a social-personality PhD program
• Complete a poster summarizing the independent research project by the end of the SPUR program
• Engage in regular check-ins with SPUR trainees and SPUR mentors as appropriate

Trainee stipend and awards:

Trainees in the program will receive a free SPSP membership, an SPSP Annual Convention registration award, and up to $1,500 for their mentored research time for approximately 120 hours worked across the months of the SPUR program.

Application requirements:

• A completed SPUR application.
• An uploaded CV or resume.

Eligible trainees will be from historically underrepresented racial backgrounds who are either currently enrolled in college or recent graduates (within 2 years of college graduation) and intending to apply to PhD programs in social-personality psychology. Trainees in the program will receive a free SPSP membership, an SPSP convention registration award, and $1500 for their mentored research time for approximately 120 hours worked across the months of the SPUR program.

Applications Closed

How many students will be accepted to the program?

SPSP will select approximately ten students to participate in the program in 2023.

Are international students eligible for the program?

Yes, international students are eligible.

My school has an active lab, but it's not in my area of interest. Am I still eligible for the program?

As long as your university does not have an active research lab in your desired area of research you are eligible for the program.

When does the program take place?

The program runs from the SPUR kick-off in March 2023 to December 1, 2023.

How do I apply?

Applications are submitted via our online portal.

How are students and mentors matched?

Students will be matched with mentors by research topic and prior to accepting trainees mentors will have a chance to review the applications of mentees to determine if the match is good for both trainees and mentors.

There is a mistake on my application. How can I fix it?

If you find an error on your application that you wish to correct, email [email protected]. Please note that changes will only be accepted up to the day the application is due. 

2019 Participants

Ahmed Alattas
University of Washington
Mentor: Dr. Larisa Heiphetz, Columbia University   

Alana Bertin
McGill University
Mentor: Dr. Ashley Votruba, University of Nebraska – Lincoln 

Daphne Castro Lingl
Indiana University Bloomington
Mentor: Dr. Jackie Chen, University of Utah  

Krystal Duarte
California State University, Fresno
Mentor: Dr. Shelly Gable and Dr. Dan Conroy-Beam, UC Santa Barbara 

Khanh-Linh Duong
Knox College
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Gaither, Duke University   

Ben Huynh
Wabash Collee
Mentor: Dr. Juliana Schroeder, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley  

Jose Martinez
Florida State University
Mentor: Dr. Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Oakland University   

Yazmin Meza Lazaro
Pomona College
Mentor: Dr. Jessica Remedios, Tufts University 

Christina Tahtouh
The University of Texas at Austin 
Mentor: Dr. Jay Van Bavel, New York University   

Ana Vielma
St. Edward's University
Mentor: Dr. Nicole Stephens, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University 

2018 Participants   

Sonia Baron
Florida Atlantic University
Mentor: Dr. Greg Walton
Stanford University

Ronnie Clements
Harding University (AR)
Mentor: Dr. Sapna Cheryan
University of Washington

Ashlee Joseph
St. Thomas Aquinas College (NY)
Mentor: Dr. Maureen Craig
New York University

Yvette Lugo
California State University – Northridge
Mentor: Dr. Jamil Zaki
Stanford University   

Vy Ngo
Lawrence University (WI)
Mentor: Dr. Hal Hershfield
UCLA Anderson

Thao Pham
Augustana College (IL)
Mentor: Dr. Shelly Gable
UC Santa Barbara

Jesus Saavedra
Weber State University (UT)
Mentor: Dr. Bettina Casad
University of Missouri – STL

Crystal Solano
California State University – San Bernardino
Mentor: Dr. Keith Maddox
Tufts University   

Felix Wu
Rice University
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Gaither
Duke University 

2017 Participants

Ipeknaz Erel
Franklin & Marshall College
Mentor: Dr. Hal Hershfield
UCLA

Fasika Hailu
University of South Florida
Mentor: Dr. Sapna Cheryan
Stereotypes, Identity, and Belonging Lab at the University of Washington

Ngan Hoang
Gustavus Adolphus College
Mentor: Dr. Jamil Zaki, Leor Hackel
Stanford University

William Jettinghoff
Indiana University
Mentor: Dr. Jesse Graham
USC

Ecem Kunter
TOBB University
Mentor: Dr. Juliana Schroeder
UC, Berkeley

Miriam Morales Suárez
University of Puerto Rico
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Gaither
Duke University

Shayan Shokrgozar
College of Idaho
Mentor: Dr. Janina Steinmetz
Utrecht University

Dhairyya Singh
Ashoka University
Mentor: Dr. Kristen Lindquist
UNC Chapel Hill

Shantal Taveras
Haverford College
Mentor: Dr. Rachael Jack
University of Glasgow

Jake Yang
Texas Christian University
Mentor: Dr. Wendi Gardner
Northwestern University

2016 Participants

Roxie Chuang
Wesleyan University
Mentor: Dr. Hal Hershfield
UC, Santa Barbara

Deanna Ibrahim
Muhlenberg College
Mentor: Dr. Jay Van Bavel
New York University

Maria Escobar
Saint Vincent College
Mentor: Dr. Cara MacInnis
University of Calgary

Precious Hardy
Lincoln University – Missouri
Mentor: Dr. Wendi Gardner
Northwestern University