Psychology Inclusive Excellence Student Fund

Early Research Awards support introductory undergraduate research training in a psychology lab. They fund internships that are typically completed part-time during the summer or an academic term. In line with the broader goals of the PIE fund, Early Research Awards aim to help diversify the profession of psychology by bringing more students from equity-deserving and underrepresented backgrounds into the academic training pipeline.

Funding available
$3,000 plus benefits. The expectation is that the student will dedicate ~140 total hours to lab work (comparable to the hourly rate for a Project Assistant in UBC’s Work Learn program).

Expected outcomes
Early Research Award recipients are expected to participate in lab work that contributes to their development of foundational research skills and is of help to the host lab. The Early Research Award internship is expected to enhance the student’s competitiveness for pursuing more intensive research training, such as directed studies, honours thesis, Work-Learn research assistant position, or NSERC/Quinn award.

Eligibility

• Students must have no more than one year (cumulative) of prior research experience in a psychology or neuroscience lab. They may be completing or have completed PSYC 240, but this is not a requirement.
• Students cannot have previously held or hold concurrently a Quinn/NSERC/AURA award or other equivalent funding for a research training position.
• Students cannot have completed a directed studies or been admitted into the honours program.
• Students must be living in British Columbia during the entire term of internship.
• Students must have obtained a minimum cumulative B- (68%) average over their previous year of study.
• Students must be from at least one equity-deserving group that is underrepresented in psychology. Examples include, but are not limited to: cultural background, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, social/economic status, religion, disability, and neurodiversity.
• Students must have confirmed the interest of their prospective supervisor/willingness to supervise the award. Submission of the prospective supervisor form (see below) will be taken as confirmation.

Application
There are two components to the application. The student and the prospective supervisor must each submit an application form.

The links to the application forms will be coming soon.

Deadlines
The deadline for submission of BOTH the student and prospective supervisor forms is Feb 27, 2026.

Applications will be reviewed in early March. Student and prospective supervisors will be notified by Mar 30, 2026.

PSYC 240 Tuition Awards ($582 each, regardless of domestic/international status) are awarded to students who self-identify as having a financial barrier to gaining their first research experience through PSYC 240 (i.e., cannot afford the tuition for this course). These awards will be granted on a non-competitive basis (random draw), contingent on an applicant securing a PSYC 240 lab placement. The funding cycle takes place during the PSYC 240 application period each summer.

($3,000 from the PIE Fund) will be awarded to incoming graduate students to be applied on top of a minimum funding package. These awards and other GES award decisions will be adjudicated to help supervisors attract outstanding incoming graduate students from marginalized backgrounds underrepresented in psychology.