JOIN OUR TEAM!
The QuERBY Lab is a diverse and dynamic group of scholars. We solicit and amplify the perspectives of people from a wide range of backgrounds. Our lab is committed to equity and diversity in our research group and we enthusiastically welcome applications from visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ2S+ persons. Materials from all qualified applicants will be considered.
Prior research and/or clinical experience relevant to suicide science is valued but by no means required. Research on suicide has been growing exponentially in the past 20 years or so, but suicide science (suicidology) is still quite a small field. We expect that most prospective students applying to the QuERBY Lab will be relatively unfamiliar with suicide science. If you are looking for an overview of some key themes and findings in suicide science, Dr. Stewart’s list of required and recommended readings for PSYC 480 (“Self-Injury and Suicide”) is available here.
Many people are drawn to clinical psychological science, and research on suicide, in particular, because of personal experiences (e.g., one’s own, a friend’s, or a relative’s mental health problems). Undoubtedly, life experiences shape our career interests, trajectories, and goals in significant ways. Among other things, this can fuel one’s drive and sense of purpose. With that said, the QuERBY Lab’s focus is on understanding basic processes relevant to self-injury, suicide, and other self-destructive behaviours; although we think our findings are relevant to assessment and prevention, this is not the direct focus of our lab’s work. In considering the QuERBY Lab, reflect on your interests and determine whether a research focus on basic processes is a good fit for your learning and professional goals.
Below is a list of current positions available.
applications via the querby lab following Positions
Project Student
Current Openings: We consider applications from prospective project students on a rolling basis. However, we tend to make decisions about the composition of the QuERBY Lab’s roster for the academic year (Fall and Winter Semesters) in July and August. In the event that there are no openings for project students when we receive your application, we will keep your information on file and will consider it when positions become available.
Position Description: For details about the requirements of “Special Directed” courses (PSYC 299, PSYC 550, PSYC 555, PSYC 570, and PSYC 575) please review this website. Further, review past syllabi from when we offered PSYC 550 and PSYC 570 in prior years. Project students who thrive in the lab tend to be intellectually curious, independent, highly motivated, and interested in an immersive experience in clinical psychological science. Students who are a strong fit for our lab are interested in completing and honours thesis and are considering careers that involve research.
Volunteer Research Assistant
Current Openings: We consider applications from prospective project students on a rolling basis. However, we tend to make decisions about the composition of the QuERBY Lab’s roster for the academic year (Fall and Winter Semesters) in July and August. In the event that there are no openings for project students when we receive your application, we will keep your information on file and will consider it when positions become available.
Position Description: Volunteer research assistants are key contributors to QuERBY Lab activities and are instrumental in moving our work forward. Volunteers who tend to excel in our lab are intellectually curious, independent, energetic and creative, and interested in the research process (e.g., experimental design, measurement, etc).
applications via the department of psychology for the following Positions
Graduate Student
Current Openings: We are not currently recruiting new graduate students for the upcoming cycle. If you are interested in applying during future cycles, please see the information below.
How to Apply: All applicants who wish to join our lab as a graduate student must submit their applications through a centralized portal that can be found here. Please review the general application guidelines and instructions found on the Queen’s Department of Psychology website carefully. In addition, our lab has created a comprehensive FAQ about applying to the QuERBY Lab, specifically. We strongly encourage applicants to review the FAQ prior to drafting their application materials.
Honours Thesis (501) Student
Current Openings: We are not currently recruiting new honours thesis students for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Position Description: For details about the requirements of the psychology honours thesis program at Queen’s, in general, please review information available from the Department of Psychology’s website. Honours thesis students who thrive in the QuERBY Lab tend to be intellectually curious, independent, highly motivated, and interested in an immersive experience in clinical psychological science. Students who are a strong fit for our lab are interested in research careers after graduation, and would welcome opportunities to present their honours thesis work at academic conferences and/or submit manuscripts based on their findings.
The lab uses questionnaires, interviews, behavioural observation, experimental tasks, electrophysiology, and ecological momentary assessment techniques to deepen understanding of self-destructive behaviours, particularly suicide. There are opportunities to carve out a thesis from a larger, ongoing project, to make use of rich archival data to test hypotheses, and to design a novel project. Please review honours thesis work from our former students for an illustration of the range of projects that our trainees have pursued.
Consistent with the honours thesis course requirements, QuERBY Lab honours students get experience conducting literature reviews related to their projects and have opportunities to get feedback on written and oral expression. Most students enter, clean, and organize data related to their projects; data analyses conducted by QuERBY Lab honours students tend to be relatively complex because of the nature of the dependent variables in many of our studies (e.g., zero-inflated count variables). Students are not expected to have mastered these statistical skills when they apply and receive ample support in learning the approaches that their projects require. To lesser and greater extents, honours students are expected to contribute to other on-going lab projects throughout the year (e.g., study advertising; participant recruitment; data collection; data cleaning and checking). The amount of additional lab work honours students are involved in depends on how time-intensive the data collection portion of their thesis project is; thesis work is prioritized above general lab needs.
How to Apply: The honours thesis application process is handled at the departmental level and coordinated by the PSYC 501 instructors. Review the course information and look out for updated information in early- to mid-February of each academic year.