The SNL is always seeking highly motivated undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows who are interested in comparative cognition and behaviour, animal communication, auditory perception, and neuroethology, to conduct research projects.
Underrepresented groups, including women, people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, people of colour, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals are encouraged to apply. Please read our SNL Code of Conduct and EDI pages.
Undergraduates
Please refer to the PDF file:
Volunteering
This will require you to work about 3 days a week and to work with animals. You will receive animal ethics training and specific hands on training to conduct this work.
Research Courses
There are also several research courses you can take, including PSYCO 299, 396, 398, 496, and 498. PSYCO299 students either conduct reading projects or assist other more advanced students with ongoing projects, will receive animal ethics training and specific hands on training to conduct this work, and will work about 3 days a week. PSYCO 396/496 and PSYCO 398/498 students conduct research for two terms, will receive animal ethics training and specific hands on training to conduct this work, and will work about 4 days a week.
Honours
Honours students work in the lab for two years. During the first year, they receive ethics and hands on training and develop their thesis proposal. During the second year, Honours students conduct and present their Honours research. Honours students can expect to work up to 5 or more days per week in the lab, including some weekend days.
If you are interested in working in the lab as an undergraduate, please contact Chris Sturdy directly via e-mail and include a paragraph explaining why you are interested in working in the lab, your unofficial transcript, and which aspect of the lab you find most interesting, citing the lab publication that interests you. Please used the subject line “Undergraduate research” in your email and label your transcript “Lastname_Firstinitial_Transcript” (e.g., Sturdy_C_Transcript).
Undergraduate students may apply for an NSERC undergraduate student research award (USRA). This award, along with a supplement from their research supervisor, provides students with approximately $1,400 per month for four months, from May through August. Undergraduate student can also apply for an URI Undergraduate Researcher Stipend. This award provides the student with a $5,000 for four months, from May through August. There are many other funding opportunities for undergraduates listed here.
Graduates
Graduate students may apply to the M.Sc. or Ph.D. program in either the Department of Psychology’s graduate program or the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute graduate program. If interested, please contact Chris Sturdy directly via e-mail with a cover letter explaining why you are interested in working in the lab and a description of your research interests, your CV, and all of your unofficial transcripts. Please used the subject line “Graduate research” in your email and label your documents as follows “Lastname_Firstinitial_Cover” (e.g., Sturdy_C_Cover).
Graduate Student Opportunities, Songbird Neuroethology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Fall 2023
I have an opportunity in my laboratory for one or possibly two excellent graduate students beginning in September 2023 for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in comparative cognition and behaviour. This includes the neurobiological and developmental correlates of perception and cognition. The official application deadline is 1 December 2022 to be considered for admission beginning September 2023, however, applications will be reviewed as soon as they are complete. Please refer to our departmental web pages for information about our department and graduate program, and to my own and our laboratory web pages for information about current research in my laboratory.
I DO NOT REQUIRE APPLICANTS WANTING TO WORK WITH ME TO HAVE WRITTEN, OR TO WRITE, THE GRE!
Graduate students may apply for NSERC post-graduate scholarships; these awards fund graduate students for two or three years at approximately $17,500-$50,000 per year. Graduate students may want to peruse the many awards listed on the FGSR website. These are of various valuations and for various durations.
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Interested potential postdoctoral fellows can contact Chris Sturdy directly via e-mail with a cover letter explaining why you are interested in working in the lab and a description of your research interests and a copy of your CV. Please used the subject line “Postdoctoral research” in your email and label your documents as follows “Lastname_Firstinitial_Cover” (e.g., Sturdy_C_Cover).
Postdoctoral fellows may apply for an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship (PDF) valued at $50,000 per year for two years or a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship valued at $70,000 per year for two years. Please follow this link to find information regarding applying for a Banting PDF to work at the University of Alberta. Follow this link for complete listing of postdoctoral opportunities from NSERC. Postdoctoral fellows may also apply for either a Notely or Killam postdoctoral fellowship. These awards are worth $46,000 per year in salary for two years and come with a one-time award of $4,000 to be used for research and conference expenses. Please follow this link for a complete listing of funding and fellowship opportunities.