Frequently Asked Questions

How do I join your lab?

Undergraduates

Interested undergraduates should apply through the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program. I rarely collaborate with undergraduate students unless they are URAPs in my lab.

Here are the things I look for in RAs, in descending order of importance:

1. Training and experience in statistics, psychology, economics, and decision research. The more of this you have, the better. I also value coding skills, particularly with R, Qualtrics, Python, and HTML.
2. Relevant experience. Having previously done research, especially with randomized experiments, is a plus.
3. Good grades in relevant classes (statistics, cognitive/social psychology, microeconomics, behavioral economics, behavioral decision making). If you have a bad grade that you think misrepresents your abilities, feel free to explain it to me.
4. Interest in our work, as evidenced by knowing about it and the related literature.
5. Good quantitative SAT/GRE scores. I prefer quantitative GRE scores above 160, or quantitative SAT scores above 700. I'm aware of the problems with these tests, but they make comparisons across applicants easier, and give talented applicants from underprivileged backgrounds a chance. If you think that your scores don't reflect your potential, explain. If you don't have scores and can't afford to take the test, let me know about that too.

If you want me to advise your undergraduate thesis, you should plan to apply to be a part of the lab through URAP a couple of semesters ahead of your request.

Doctoral students

I rarely have the time or capacity to collaborate with graduate students who are not enrolled at UC Berkeley. If you are interested in enrolling, you should apply to our PhD program.

If you're trying to decide whether to apply to the Berkeley-Haas PhD program, you can send me a CV, transcripts, and test scores in the fall a year before your proposed entry. You can ask me — even before you apply officially — for an indication of whether I think I can advocate for you during admissions. I will give you an honest answer and hope that this will make your application process more targeted and efficient. If I encourage you to apply, that is no guarantee of admission. Note that we usually accept less than 5% of those who apply.

Visiting Bachelor's / Master's / PhD students

I rarely have the time or resources to sponsor visiting bachelor's or master's students. If you're a potential visiting PhD student, please send me a CV, transcripts, SAT/GRE scores (nothing formal is needed — screenshots or informal summaries are fine), and a writing sample (publication, working paper, or essay, in that order of priority).

Please also indicate whether you have funding to cover your living expenses, e.g. from a fellowship, your home university, or other sources. Include information about your intended length of stay and when you would like to come. The longer you can come, the better.

Tell me what you expect to get out of such a visit; know that the probability of a research collaboration is low because it is rare that I have the time to start something new, and it is unlikely we would have the time to start and complete a project during your visit. Finally, I will need to know that your home institution and primary advisor is supportive of your visit and will require direct confirmation from them.

High school students

It is sufficiently difficult for high school students to be a part of the lab that it has never happened. Our lab lacks the facilities to adequately supervise and train high school students. Our advice: work hard in your classes and apply to UC Berkeley as an undergraduate. Then join our lab as a URAP.

Internships

I usually don't take interns for short durations; it's not worth the training that is required, for either of us. If you're serious about collaboration, consider enrolling in UC Berkeley.

What is your collaboration style?

This document offers some tips on healthy collaboration reflecting what I have found to work best.