The Language, Experience, and Development (LEAD) Lab in the department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, directed by Dr. Rachel Romeo, is hiring Research Assistants for January 2026 to December 2026. Applications are due Friday, November 14.
The LEAD Lab team studies how children’s early experiences—both favorable and adverse—influence their neural, cognitive, and academic development. Research Assistants (RAs) in the LEAD Lab engage in a variety of tasks, including recruiting participants, facilitating child and family visits to the lab, assisting with neuroimaging sessions, examining videos for patterns of parent-child interaction, and much more! RAs work ~10 hours per week, and some of this work will likely occur on evenings/weekends when families are available.
The LEAD Lab is interested in applicants with a range of experiences, and we especially encourage students without previous research experience to apply. Applicants with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, history of/interest in working with children and families, commitment to collaboration, and interest in the intersections of developmental psychology, developmental cognitive neuroscience, and educational equity may find a good fit in the LEAD Lab.
Though these skills are not at all required, students with any of the skills listed below may be an especially good fit for certain lab projects…
Styling afro-textured hair & advocating for hair equity
Bilingual in English & Spanish
Previous experience working with young children/families
Interested students can learn more about the LEAD Lab at this link: https://education.umd.edu/
Please direct any questions to lab manager Alicia Mortimer at aliciam@umd.edu.
