The Baby Learning Lab (Principal Investigator: Dr. Lauren Emberson) is recruiting volunteer Research Assistants.
Position Overview
The Baby Learning Lab is seeking undergraduate student Research Assistants (RA) to volunteer approximately nine hours per week, with primary shifts Monday to Sunday, 9:00 am — 5:00pm, and occasional weekend hours depending on project needs. Responsibilities include engaging with children, scheduling family visits, attending community recruitment events, and performing daily lab tasks and behavioural coding tasks.
The lab fosters a supportive and welcoming atmosphere, and there’s lots of room for growth, including opportunities for Work Learn positions, Directed Studies, Honours projects, and Senior RA roles.
After two semesters, students may qualify for advanced roles, such as Directed Studies, Honours, or Paid Research Assistant positions (e.g., Work Learn, AURA, NSERC USRA). No prior research experience is required—this role is ideal for students passionate about developmental psychology and working with young children.
Tasks
Baby Learning Lab RAs perform a variety of tasks and are trained to:
- Contact families to invite them to participate in our in-person studies
- Conduct behavioural coding
- Prepare materials for upcoming studies
- Help support family visits and fNIRS/eye-tracking data collection
- Code videos of infant behaviour
With experience, RAs are typically assigned to specific, ongoing projects that involve even more hands-on research experience. These specialized tasks may include performing behavioural coding, literature reviews and helping with data processing and analysis.
Position Requirements
The Baby Learning Lab is looking for motivated undergraduate students who meet these requirements:
- Minimum Commitment: 9 hours/week
- Minimum Semester Commitment: 2 semesters
- Will References Be Requested: No
- Will Transcript Be Requested: No
- Will Interview Be Requested: Yes
Additional Information Required: A description of prior informal or formal experience that might be relevant to the position (working or interacting with infants, children, or parents), if any, and (2) a statement regarding how the student would support and contribute to equity, diversity and inclusion in the lab.
To Apply
Submit an application through the lab’s website and one of the lab coordinators will reach out to you soon. You can find the application form here: https://babylearninglab.psych.ubc.ca/join-the-lab/undergraduate-students/
Apply by August 6, 2026
About the Baby Learning Lab
The Baby Learning Lab, directed by Dr. Lauren Emberson, studies the capacity of the infant brain to learn, and how these capacities develop across the first months and years of life. To understand the learning mechanisms of the infant brain, we utilize both behavioural (i.e., quantifying actions or eye-movements) and neuroimaging (i.e., functional near-infrared spectroscopy or ‘fNIRS’) methodologies in our research.