For Students
Presentations
ILL members, Haley and Fatima, delivering an outstanding presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in April 2023.
Undergraduate Office
Research Assistants working on coding data for a video of an infant.
Recruitment Event
Members of the ILL and the Social Kids Lab enjoying chatting with families at the Dane County Farmers Market.
Lab Meeting
Research Assistants presenting during a lab meeting in March 2023.
Lab Social
Students and staff of the Infant Learning Lab enjoying a well-deserved paddling break on Lake Wingra.
Prospective Graduate Students
Dr. Saffran will be considering applications for doctoral students to begin Fall ’27. You can read more about what Dr. Saffran is looking for in applications at this link: https://psych.wisc.edu/graduate-program/admission-and-requirements/jenny-saffran-information-for-prospective-graduate-students/
Undergraduate Research Assistants
The Infant Learning Lab typically has several openings for new undergraduate students to join the lab each semester.
We are currently accepting applications for Research Assistants to start in Spring 2027. Please complete the following form by Friday, October 23rd to apply: https://forms.gle/TFjyMuTqmK4Saeq97
If you have any questions, or would like to come see the lab, feel free to contact us to set up an appointment.
The Infant Learning Lab supports and encourages students of all backgrounds, including on dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, religious affiliation, socioeconomic status, nationality, and culture, to apply.
Undergraduate FAQ’s
We require at least a 3.0 GPA and a two semester commitment. Applicants should be able to work well with both adults and children, be able to collaborate with peers and juggle multiple daily tasks, and have well-developed problem solving abilities.
No! Many of our lab members are interested in psychology; however, we welcome any student who has a keen interest in the research process or in the fields of linguistics, speech therapy, child development, etc. We also occasionally hire Computer Science students to help with coding experiments and statistical analyses.
We are currently accepting applications for Research Assistants to start in Spring 2027. Please complete the following form by Friday, October 23rd to apply: https://forms.gle/TFjyMuTqmK4Saeq97
Typically, students receive course credit for their work in the lab (usually 2 or 3 credits, which translates to 6 or 9 hours a week). Occasionally, paid positions are available for experienced staff.
No.
Research assistants participate in all aspects of the lab, including running experiments, coding infant behavior with eye-tracking and head-turn technology, and recruiting new research participants by letter and phone.
Undergraduate students are responsible for all our scheduling details and must prevent any appointment conflicts. There’s a lot of information, and it’s important to stay organized in order to work efficiently.
Our students enjoy learning about our current studies and helping our researchers run them. Favorite daily tasks include organizing thank-you emails with screenshots from experiments to families, entertaining children while their sibling is participating in a study, and helping families schedule their appointments.
We only accept students who can make a 2-semester commitment to the lab, not including summers or terms after graduation. On rare occasions, we accept students for volunteer positions over the summer.