2026 Summer Research Opportunities

The Spelke Lab is seeking motivated students to assist with research in a developmental psychology laboratory for the summer in Cambridge, Massachusetts! Learn state of the art research methods that provide a window into the minds of infants, toddlers, and children. This is an excellent opportunity for someone interested in an intensive, immersive experience in the field of developmental psychology, but also in psychological research more generally.

Intern duties center around working on a project with a primary researcher, and include:

  • recruiting and scheduling child participants and their families
  • testing children in the lab or on Zoom
  • data coding and analysis
  • aiding in the design of new studies

In addition, interns will be invited to professional development workshops, lab meetings, and socials throughout the summer. Interns will present a scholarly poster to the Harvard community at the end of the summer showcasing the project they worked on.

Qualifications

An interest in and ability to work with young children is essential, and previous experience is a plus. Students must have a minimum of 20 hours a week to commit to the lab with a maximum of 35 hours a week for at least 10 weeks.

Funding Resources
Interested?

To apply for a position in our summer internship, please email a copy of your CV and a cover letter to Georgios Dougalis (Spelke Lab Manager) at georgios_dougalis@g.harvard.edu with the subject line “Spelke Lab Summer Internship Application 2025”. The application deadline is Monday March 10th, 2025 at noon ET. Questions? Please explore our FAQ section at the bottom of this page. If your question is more specific, feel free to reach out to Georgios Dougalis at georgios_dougalis@g.harvard.edu. Note: Applications for the 2025 cycle are now closed. All Spelke Lab openings have been filled.

Update 11/20/2025: We appreciate the interest in our Summer Internship for 2026. We currently do not have information to provide applicants yet. We will update our website as soon as possible. At this time we will not be responding to individual inquires related to the status of the internship program.