Join the Lab

 The KU BEAN Lab is affiliated with the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment and the Department of Applied Behavioral Science on the KU Lawrence campus. The lab is a training environment for graduate students, undergraduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. Learn more about our priorities for supervising graduate and undergraduate students in the sections below.

The KU BEAN Lab is affiliated with the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment and the Department of Applied Behavioral Science on the KU Lawrence campus. Dr. Amlung will be considering graduate student applicants in the Behavioral Psychology PhD program in Applied Behavioral Science at KU for a Fall 2023 start date.

Contact Dr. Amlung by email for more information (mamlung@ku.edu)

Graduate Mentoring Philosophy

Supervising graduate trainees is a role that I take very seriously and one that I gain a tremendous amount of professional and personal satisfaction. I am deeply committed to working alongside my trainees to provide them with research and academic experiences that will further their professional development and training as scientists. I consider myself a mentor first and a scientist second, and I hope that my trainees see this philosophy put into practice when working in the lab. 

In my lab, graduate students are involved in all stages of the research process, from designing studies, to collecting and analyzing data, and presenting and publishing the results of our research. The lab is highly collaborative, with students and research assistants working together with Dr. Amlung on developing ideas for new studies, carrying out projects and sharing research findings. My students are encouraged to attend scientific conferences and begin working on data collection and conference presentations during their first year. You will then be challenged to expand your involvement and autonomy as you complete your master’s or doctoral theses.

Graduate students are typically assigned to be a Project Coordinator on one or more ongoing studies in the lab, which gives you experience with managing a research study and a research team. I delegate a lot of responsibility to my students because I trust the high quality of trainees that we recruit to the lab. If you are interested, you may also be given opportunities to supervise undergraduate student researchers and serve as co-mentors on honors thesis projects. 

Writing papers and giving presentations (talks, posters) are a crucial to developing your skills as a scientist and science communicator. We will work collaboratively to strengthen your writing skills through multiple drafts with feedback from me. I typically provide this feedback within a few days to a week and will always tell you in advance if there will be a delay in my response. 

I also see my role as a facilitator of your professional and career development, a process which begins during your first year and continues throughout your graduate training and beyond. I will work hard to advocate and support you in your graduate program, advise you on appropriate coursework, support you as you complete written and oral comprehensive exams, and help you craft ideas for your thesis and dissertation projects.

I am eager to learn more about my students’ individual career plans and interests. If you want to pursue and academic career, I will do whatever I can to connect you with opportunities and colleagues to build your professional network. I will help you seek out potential postdoctoral positions and future academic job opportunities. You may also be interested in gaining teaching experience and I completely support those goals. If you are considering a career outside academia, such as clinical work, industry, or other sectors, I will help to facilitate these opportunities and connections to the extent possible. I am aware that I am not the best person to advise on those career paths, so we will work together to find you the best possible guidance.

I also encourage my students to apply for funding and awards, including graduate fellowships from NIH and other agencies, student research grants from APA and other associations, and other early career investigator awards. The lab also makes every attempt to provide funding for travel to conferences and small pilot funding for student research projects (when funds are available), but the expectation is that you will also apply for funding opportunities when available. 

To summarize, as a graduate trainee in my lab, you can expect the following: 

• I hope that you will find our lab to be a space that celebrates diversity and inclusion; a Positive Space for all individuals to contribute regardless of their backgrounds, identities, or life experiences; and an enjoyable and supportive environment to work. I cannot stress enough that you are not viewed as cheap labor for the lab’s research studies. 
• You will have regular mentorship/supervision meetings with me. I typically meet 1-on-1 with my mentees on a weekly basis. I protect this time in my schedule and rarely cancel these meetings (unless there is an unavoidable conflict, or we both agree there are no new items to discuss). If we have to cancel, I will make every effort to reschedule later the same week. 
• You will work hard and I will have high expectations of your work. I want you to exceed your potential and reach goals that are beyond what you thought you could accomplish. We will set ambitious goals, even if we do not always reach 100% of them.
• Although I will push you to be your best, I also think I am an empathic and supportive supervisor. Graduate training is difficult and stressful, and your mental health is most important, without question. We prioritize self-care on our team by encouraging outside hobbies and interests and insisting that you take time off to rest and recharge between semesters or over the summer. I want to know if you are struggling or if your attention is pulled in other directions. You should feel comfortable to come to me if you need to talk about how life circumstances may be affecting your work. My door is always open. 
• If you work hard, then you will be rewarded. I take a diplomatic and fair approach to authorship. If you contribute in a significant way to a project, then you will be given an opportunity to continue that involvement as a co-author. Students are encouraged to take the lead on papers from the lab (if you visit our Publications page, you will see that a majority of the papers from the lab have trainees as first-author or co-author). Authorship is not free, but your effort and investment will be recognized and rewarded.
• You will have my trust and full commitment. I do not micromanage and keep track of my graduate students’ schedules or hours spent in the lab. I do not require you to submit weekly progress reports, as long as it is clear that you are staying on top of your work and making progress. Some weeks will be home runs, others might be strike outs, and this is expected and totally fine. What matters most is that you continue to move forward in your training and research. 
• Finally, you will have an advocate and supporter for your entire career. I will be here to give you advice on career opportunities, to provide reference letters, and to connect you with the broader addictions community. 

Are you interested in getting involved with research on the psychological and neurobiological underpinnings of addiction? Are you considering pursuing graduate school in psychology, behavioral science, or neuroscience, or perhaps going to medical school? If so, then joining the KU BEAN Lab as a research assistant or undergraduate thesis student is an excellent way to learn important research skills and build your CV. 

Undergraduate learners in the lab receive a solid foundation in the scientific basis of ongoing research, actively contribute to collection and analysis of research data, and build skills in communicating scientific findings via presentations and, in some cases, peer-reviewed publications. There may also be opportunities for learners who contribute multiple semesters to the lab to conduct independent research projects or honors thesis projects.

If you are interested in joining the lab as an undergraduate research assistant or conducting a senior thesis, contact Dr. Amlung via email (mamlung@ku.edu)