If you’re a BYU junior or senior in the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences and are a member of a group that is typically under-represented in graduate school (e.g., low income, first generation), we want you to apply to the FHSS Student Research Academy!
As an Academy student, you’ll work with a faculty member who is interested in building a mentoring relationship with you as you participate in their research project. You’ll also benefit from a structured Academy experience where you meet regularly with other Academy students and faculty for additional support as you prepare for graduate school and a career in academia or research. We believe participating in the FHSS Student Research Academy will provide experiences to help you make educated decisions about your future and put your best foot forward when applying for graduate school.
Benefits of the Student Research Academy:
Receive a total of $1,000 scholarship ($500 in Fall semester and $500 in Winter semester)
Be hired as a paid research assistant to work with a faculty member (on average 5–10 hours per week at $13.5 per hour)
As part of this paid position, participate in the research process and gain valuable experience in data collection, analysis, and visualization as you work with a faculty mentor
Prepare for graduate school as you attend a 1-credit Academy class in Fall and a poster presentation at the Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference in Winter semester — you’ll connect with resources for GRE prep, for resume or CV creation, and for applying to and preparing for graduate programs — you will learn how to prepare presenting a research project at the Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference
Add to your resume or CV as you present your research in a poster at the Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference in April
Enjoy an annual banquet to celebrate Academy students and highlight their research presentations
It’s easy to apply — here’s how:
Identify research you want to be involved in or a professor you would like to work with. Carefully consider which projects listed below might best fit your interests. If you are already working with a faculty member on research, that’s great — you may still apply, just specify that you’d like to continue to work with that faculty member while in the program. If you need help connecting to a faculty member or research project, see below for a list of available faculty and research by department.
Fill out and submit the application by May 31, noting at least two faculty members with whom you would be interested in working.
Once accepted, enroll in the 1-credit FHSS Student Research Academy course (FHSS 251R in Fall and Winter semesters). Times of available Academy classes are found in the application.
Language and education; Korean culture and psychosocial concepts of social awareness; Political polarization in the U.S.; Latinx language practices vis a vis schooling; disadvantaged communities in the U.S.
None
Lars Lefgren
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Education, crime, and statistical methods
B average in econ classes and concurrent enrollment in (or completed) Econ 388
Christian vom Lehn
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Macroeconomics and Labor Economics
Mentees must have completed Econ 378, Econ 380, Econ 381, and Econ 388 with a B- or better. I have a strong preference for completing Econ 398 as well (most of my current/past RAs have completed this course as well).
No prerequisits, but bi-weekly meetings and written report of work done in advance
Joe Price
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Economic History + Machine Learning
Econ 388 (or Python experience) preferred
Olga Stoddard
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Gender and racial discrimination, labor economics
Prefer if they have had Econ 388
Riley Wilson
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Migration, Safety Net Programs, Government programs directed to low-income households, labor market decisions.
Completed Econ 388 and Econ 380
Roy Bean
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Evaluation of research quality/quantity focusing on ethnic/racial minorities
They should be grad school bound or at least open to the idea
Andrea Kinghorn Busby
Research Interests:
Requirements:
I research how social inequality relates to children's development. This includes (1) how parents teach their children about economic inequality and how that relates to children's attitudes and behaviors towards others. In this area of research, I run the Festivals Project with Dr. Ashley Fraser where we look intersectionally at how parents teach their children about race and socioeconomic status together. My other area of research (2) examines how neighborhoods shape children's development (including neighborhood violence and neighborhood wealth and poverty). In these two areas of research I have a variety of tasks for mentees depending on their experience, skills, desire, and motivation. These tasks include research design, writing, and data analysis.
Students should expect to attend weekly meetings. Students should have already taken or commit to take these classes while they are working with me: SFL 290 and SFL 305 (or equivalent courses in your major). Students will participate in the Fulton poster conference.
Dean Busby
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Sexuality, Couple Relationships
None
Sarah Coyne
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Body image, social media
No prerequisites, but expected to attend a weekly meeting, usually Mondays at 4pm.
Jeff Dew
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Money and family life. Marital deception. Any interesting marriage-related question really.
That they have had an intro stats and methods class
Ashley Fraser
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Hope, empathy, prosocial behavior, race and racism, economic inequality
None
Ashley Larsen Gibby
Research Interests:
Requirements:
I have two that are separate: 1) gender ideology/gender attitudes, 2) adoption
It is helpful for my mentees to either take SFL 305 or do a data bootcamp with me in the summer. But I can work with them if that's not the case.
Alex Jensen
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Sibling relationships; autism
None
Chelom Leavitt
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Sexuality, mindfulness
Some stats knowledge would be helpful
Ashley LeBaron-Black
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Money management in couple relationships; teaching kids about money
Have taken a research methods class, an upper-level writing class, and a statistics class
Nathan Leonhardt
Research Interests:
Requirements:
I focus on expanding our understanding of high quality relationships. Some of the specific areas I focus on are sexuality, religion, and virtue.
Preferably have taken a basic statistics and research methods course, but not required
Larry Nelson
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Flourishing and floundering in the transition to adulthood
None
Peter Reschke
Research Interests:
Requirements:
My research focuses on how young children learn about emotions and how to respond to them. Such emotion competence is vital for healthy social adjustment and functioning.
None
Daye Son
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Dr. Son’s research focuses on adolescent development within parent-child contexts. Central to her research is examining (a) bi-directionality in parent-youth relationships and (b) sociocultural factors that shape these dynamics. Her current work employs longitudinal quantitative methods to analyze parent-youth interactions in U.S. Latinx families.
None
Jocelyn Wikle
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Family policy
Successfully completed a college-level writing course. Would need to commit to at least 5 hours each week.
Jeremy Yorgason
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Young couples managing type 1 diabetes, or older couples managing chronic illness
A desire to learn how to conduct research
Mat Bekker
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Tree-ring science, including applications in historical archaeology and climatology
Just an interest in learning and willingness to pay attention to detail
Dave Simpson
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Current funded research includes an examination of the role dogs play in college student anxiety, stress, and depression. Other topics: Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) including canine and equine therapy; hazards and disasters in Utah; and Planning approaches to regional issues
Willingness to complete HIPPA and IRB training modules
Jay Buckley
Research Interests:
Requirements:
I am researching topics related to the American West: Mexican and Latino sheepherders in Utah; Africans and Indigenous fur trappers and traders; etc.
Seeking motivated students willing to work.
Ignacio Garcia
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Latino issues and historical writing
None
David-James Gonzales
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Latine/x politics and social movements; US immigration policy and race.
None
Leslie Hadfield
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Pioneers in Africa
A History or History and Social Science Teaching Major would be ideal
Jeff Hardy
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Prisons globally from 1919 to 1939
Strong preference for history or sociology majors
Amy Harris
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Early 19th century British labor and household structures. History of genealogical practices in 18th century England. Specifically looking at how the poor and the wealthy often had different reasons for remembering/recording their family history, but there are places where they used them in similar ways.
Ability to read 19th and late 18th century handwriting. Or at least the willingness to learn
Christopher Jones
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Early American History, Family History and Genealogy, History of Religion in America, History of Slavery and the Slave Trade, Latter-day Saint History
None
Kirk Larsen
Research Interests:
Requirements:
East Asian foreign relations; history; imperialism
None
Matthew Mason
Research Interests:
Requirements:
The politics of slavery in 18th- and 19th-century Britain and the United States
I would be more interested in mentoring them in their own research, as is the norm in History, than having them help with mine
Aaron Skabelund
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Modern Japanese history generally, hunting in the Japanese empire specifically, and memory of the colonization of Hokkaido
None
Joseph Stuart
Research interests:
Requirements:
African American history, particularly of the relationship between race, masculinity, civil rights, and religion in twentieth-century Black Freedom Movements; Black families and kinships across the African diaspora.
None
Diana Duan
Research interests:
Requirements:
China, Southeast Asia, borderlands, migration, colonialism, and social, economic, and cultural history.
None
Lisa Argyle
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Political Discussion, Political Psychology, Public Opinion
Some background in quantitative data, surveys, or experiments would be useful, but is not required
Celeste Beesley
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Political impacts of economic insecurity or the war in Ukraine
None
Ethan Busby
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Extremism, political psychology, survey research, and experiments
Responsiveness! But no formal coursework requirements
Adam Dynes
Research Interests:
Requirements:
I like to study how elected officials in the US represent their constituents and what factors influence how they do this. A lot of my work (including most of the projects I have right now) on these topics focus on politicians in cities and towns, but I've done research on this topic on Congress, state legislatures, and (with a project in process) K-12 school boards. Several of my recent and ongoing projects examine how electoral institutions (like whether a city has nonpartisan elections or holds them at weird times of the year) impact how well elected officials line up with their constituents in terms of their partisanship, policy views, gender, and/or race/ethnicity.
For political science majors, I need them to have at least taken POLI 200. I would prefer if they have also taken POLI 328, but it's okay if they haven't but will be taking it in the fall. For non political science majors, they need to have taken a course on research design and one on statistical analyses.
Darren Hawkins
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Public support for democracy and improving government decision-making in development, especially in Latin America
Poli 200 and an interest in statistics and my topics
Kirk Hawkins
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Polarization, Populism
They should have taken POLI 150 or POLI 110
Chris Krewson
Research Interests:
Requirements:
I am interested in how people think about judges and judging, including how political events shape people's views of the judiciary. I am working on a project that analyzes the extent to which the public has been socialized into accepting judicial norms that may conflict with other political values, including support for judicial independence, respect for past decisions, and the like.
Skilled in R and text analysis
David Romney
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Conspiracy theories and state media in the Arab Middle East
For students interested in doing coding and statistical analysis work, POLI 328 or equivalent courses—e.g. ECON 378/388, or any course that introduces students to statistical analysis and/or statistical programming skills. NOTE: No Arabic language necessary!
For students interested in analyzing the Arabic content, completion of the Arabic-language study abroad required.
Darin Self
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Democracy and Authoritarianism
None
Wendy Birmingham
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Health Psychology
None
Kara Duraccio
Research Interests:
Requirements:
I have focused my research efforts on (a) uncovering risk factors for insufficient sleep in youth, (b) understanding the mental, behavioral, and physical health consequences of obtaining insufficient sleep, (c) developing innovative methods for measuring and manipulating diet, physical activity, and sleep outcomes, and (d) creating effective pediatric obesity interventions.
I prefer they have taken a research-design class
Sam Hardy
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Religious conversion, deconversion, reconversion
Ideally one-year commitment
Chad Jensen
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Pediatric psychology including obesity, diabetes, and sleep health promotion
None
Daniel Kay
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Sleep
None
Brock Kirwan
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Cognitive neuroscience of memory and decision making
I prefer they have taken research methods, stats, and writing courses
Michael Larson
Research Interests:
Requirements:
EEG and cognitive control functions
Student needs to be reliable and willing to go to the University Parkway Center (UPC) building for data collection
Tricia Merkley
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Brain injury and neuropsychology
They should be able to commit weekly to at least 10 hours/week of work for at least 1 year
Jared Nielsen
Research Interests:
Requirements:
In my lab, we are interested in answering questions about the organization of the brain and how neurological and psychiatric illnesses disrupt its organization. To answer these questions, we use a variety of analytical techniques to extract quantitative information from MRI scans. We currently have projects that investigate how the brain is affected in patients with autism, OCD, and mood and anxiety disorders. Our hope is that the information we learn as scientists will inform and improve the way clinicians diagnose and treat their patients.
Just an excitement to do research!
Ben Ogles
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Psychotherapy Research and Psychotherapy Training
Need to be available for lab meeting each week
Bob Ridge
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Media effects on affect, behavior, and cognition
They should have taken the Psychology department methods core and Psych 350
Chelsea Romney
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Classroom interventions for learning and inclusion
None
Sandie Sephton
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Mechanisms of the effects of mindfulness and meditation on clinical health outcomes; Human-animal interaction as an ameliorative factor for stress; Circadian disruption as a tumor promoter.
Dr. Sephton's lab welcomes self-identified minority students of diverse cultural and experiential backgrounds. This may include (but is not limited to) racial and ethnic minority students, international students, neurodiverse students, those who have experienced traumatic circumstances; sexual and gender minorities, and/or those who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
1) They need to have taken or be concurrently enrolled in Psych 349: Intro to Positive Psychology, and 2) They need to be available to attend our lab meetings on Fridays at 10:00am.
Niwako Yamawaki
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Violence against women; help seeking
None
Juan Valladares
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Interracial interactions, intergroup contact, and cultural pschology.
None
Cole Hooley
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Mental health services; dissemination and implementation science; system science methods. I have a variety of projects going on right now in these domains. Most of them are focused on how we can get mental health services to all those who need it in Utah.
None
Gordon Limb
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Native American children and families
Have at least basic stats and research skills
Sherinah Saasa
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Broadly focuses on exclusionary mechanisms and factors that facilitate negative socio-economic and health outcomes for African immigrants in the United States and low- income children in sub-Saharan Africa. My current projects include examining (1) COVID-19 impacts on economic, social and psychological well-being of immigrant populations in the United States and, (2) educational disparities and mental health needs of disadvantaged children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Desire to learn
Hard working and dedicated
No prior research experience needed
Michael Cope
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Community sociology, with an emphasis on understanding the unique challenges faced by rural populations.
I desire to be actively engaged in the research process.
Eric Dahlin
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Innovation, organizations, development
None
Mikaela Dufur
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Child social capital; family structure; sport
None
Melissa S. Jones
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Adverse childhood experiences, crime, health
Work on analyzing data and collecting articles for literature review
Jane Lilly Lopez
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Citizenship, migration, and belonging
None
Hayley Pierce
Research Interests:
Requirements:
Well-being of women and children
None
Scott Sanders
Research Interests:
Requirements:
International development, labor and production networks, monitoring and evaluations
None
Research Academy Frequently Asked Questions
Toggle Item
What is the Student Research Academy?
The FHSS Student Research Academy is a program that combines research experience opportunities with professionalization and preparation to apply for and succeed in graduate school. The program is designed to support students from groups that are typically under-represented in graduate school and will provide you with experiences to help you make educated decisions about your future and put your best foot forward when applying for graduate school.
Toggle Item
Who is eligible for the Student Research Academy
Students who are junior or senior and members of one or more groups that are typically under-represented in graduate school (e.g., low income, first generation) are encouraged to apply to the program. If you are not sure if you belong to such a group, please apply and share with us why you believe your background and experience qualify. In addition, only students who are majoring or minoring in a program hosted in the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences are eligible to apply.
Toggle Item
When is the application due?
Applications are due on June 4th in any given year.
Toggle Item
Can I apply again if I was not accepted the first time I applied?
Yes, as long as you are able to enroll in a total of 1-credit Academy class (FHSS 251R) in both Fall (0.5 credit) and Winter (0.5 credit) semesters. However, preference will be given to new applicants.
Toggle Item
Do I have to be planning to go to graduate school to qualify for the Research Academy?
No. The Research Academy will provide you with opportunities and experiences that will be applicable in work and academic settings. However, preference will be given to those who plan to pursue post-graduate careers.
Toggle Item
How long does the Research Academy last?
The Research Academy lasts for fall and winter semesters of an academic year (e.g. Fall 2023 and Winter 2024). Students in the Research Academy should be enrolled in a total of 1-credit Academy class (FHSS 251R) in both Fall (0.5 credit) and Winter (0.5 credit) semesters during the year they participate in the program.
Toggle Item
I can only participate for one semester because I am graduating. Can I apply?
No, only students who can participate for both Fall and Winter semesters are eligible to apply.
Toggle Item
What if I’m studying abroad or otherwise away during Fall or Winter semester?
The Research Academy is a two-semester commitment and participants need to be on campus for both Fall and Winter semesters.
Toggle Item
Is it better to apply to participate in the Research Academy during my junior year or my senior year?
If you are planning to apply for graduate school during your senior year, it could be beneficial to participate in the Research Academy as a junior. But all advanced undergraduates can benefit from the program, regardless of their projected graduation date.
Toggle Item
I am a sophomore. Can I apply?
Yes, you can apply if you are getting close to your junior year.
Toggle Item
Do I need to have research experience to qualify?
No. However, some professors may require you to complete certain classes. See the list of professors and their requirements in the section above.
Toggle Item
Do I have to know which professor I want to work with before I apply?
No. In your application, you will indicate up to three professors listed in the section above with whom you would like to work.* You will be matched with a professor after you are accepted into the program.
*Carefully consider the projects/topics each faculty member has listed to decide which professors are the best fit for your interests. If you are already working with a faculty member on research, that’s great! You may still apply for the Research Academy, just specify in your application that you would like to continue to work with that faculty member while in the program. If you are not yet working with a faculty member, that’s great, too! All of the faculty members listed below have expressed an interest in working with Research Academy students.
Toggle Item
Do I make arrangements with the professor I want to work with before I apply?
See previous question.
Toggle Item
Does the Research Academy cost money?
No.
Toggle Item
Is the Research Academy a scholarship?
Research Academy participants receive a total of $1000 scholarship ($500 for each fall and winter semester) and are also hired as a paid research assistant to work with a faculty member (work between 5 ~10 hours per week at $13 per hour).
Toggle Item
Do I have to be majoring in the college to qualify?
Students who are majoring or minoring in a program hosted in the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences (FHSS) qualify for the program, though preference is given to students with declared FHSS majors.
Toggle Item
What do we learn in the Research Academy 1-credit course?
In the 1-credit course, you will receive professionalization guidance (e.g. designing your resume/CV; tips on making the most of your experiences as a mentee) and tools to prepare for graduate school (e.g. resources for GRE prep and tips on applying to and preparing for graduate school) during Fall semester. During Winter semester, you will prepare to present a research project you work with your mentor at Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference.
Toggle Item
What will I do as a research assistant?
Every research assistant position will differ, but you should gain hands-on experience collecting and/or analyzing original data and receive regular mentorship from your faculty advisor.
Toggle Item
What questions will I be asked on the application?