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PhD positions

The clic lab studies how people and AI systems differ and how they interact: for example, how language models can alter people's beliefs, whether people can distinguish between humans and AI systems, and whether models show signs of humanlike social intelligence. See more on our research.

PhD Students (Stony Brook Psychology)

This is an in-person position starting in Fall 2027, based at Stony Brook University, Long Island, NY. Please have a low bar for applying even if you don't meet all of the criteria below but would be excited to learn.

What we're looking for

  • Interest in both human psychology and the impacts of AI systems
  • Experience working with LLMs
  • Technical skills in Python and/or JavaScript
  • Experience with experimental design, data analysis, and scientific writing
  • Interest in running real-time interactive studies (with humans and AI systems)

What we offer

  • Fully funded PhD position
  • Strong mentorship and high research independence
  • Opportunities to collaborate across psychology, computer science, linguistics and many other fields
  • Opportunities to work with real-world impact during your PhD

Deadline: December 15, 2026

Apply to SBU Psychology

Frequently asked questions

This page answers common questions about applying to my lab at Stony Brook for a PhD. Please read it before emailing me. For more general advice on preparing a PhD application, see Advice for PhD applicants.

How to apply

Applications go through the Stony Brook Psychology graduate application. Apply to the Cognitive Science program and name me as a potential advisor in your application and statement. The deadline is December 15, 2026.

What do I need to submit?

The department’s application instructions and FAQ for prospective students cover eligibility, the documents you’ll need, and English language requirements for international applicants.

Do I need to email you before applying?

No. I read all applications whether or not we have been in touch and I try as much as possible not to let whether someone has emailed me in advance influence my evaluation of their application. That said, if you have a specific question which this page doesn’t answer or are unsure if you should apply you should feel free to get in touch. Due to time constraints, I’m often not able to meet with students who email me in advance.

How many students are you taking?

I hope to admit one student this cycle. Admissions decisions are made with the department, so I can’t guarantee that I will be able to take a student.

Do I need a psychology background to apply?

Not necessarily. The lab does interdisciplinary work and current students in the lab come from a variety of areas including psychology, cognitive science, computer science, and linguistics. Even students from outside related disciplines can potentially offer a lot to the research we do here, so don’t view your background as a disqualification (my own undergrad degree was in Classics!).

However, the research we do in the lab involves running experiments to build on theories in cognitive science and contribute to our understanding of cognition. I would recommend having some experience with this kind of research before you apply: not only to make your application more competitive but also to understand if you enjoy it. Moreover, applications are reviewed by the entire Cognitive Science faculty in the Psychology department, so it is important to make your research interests legible to psychologists.

Do I need experience with LLMs or specific technical skills?

Not necessarily. It helps to be comfortable with programming. Most of the work we are currently doing in the lab uses Python, JavaScript, and R. Experience with one of these languages is especially helpful to make sure that you can get started conducting independent research straight away. However, there is no requirement that you have formal training in programming. Experience with LLMs is definitely a benefit to applying to the lab. Almost everyone now has experience interacting with LLMs, but lots of the work we do here also involves thinking about exactly how they work and whether they can produce similar behavior to humans. If you are less experienced, see Advice for PhD applicants for ways to build your skills that would help your application.

What should go in my statement?

The statement is the most useful part of the application for me. I’d like to know:

While you don’t need to have a fully formed research plan, it’s useful for me to see how you are already thinking about spending the time during your PhD and how it fits with what I am planning in the lab. Having a more specific proposal for experiments that you would like to run is a great way to do that. Remember that the application is in no way a commitment or a contract. You might have many questions you are interested in and only have space to talk about a couple. The statement is mostly about demonstrating that you can think clearly about a research idea and you might well end up working on something different as your interests develop.

What happens after I apply?

I read applications after the deadline and contact shortlisted applicants in the new year to set up interviews. Interviews are a conversation about your interests and past work and not a test.

What is the lab like?

The handbook describes how the lab works day to day: what I expect from students and what you can expect from me. Our research and publications pages show some of the work we have already done.

For more on preparing an application, including reading papers, designing experiments, and building technical skills, see Advice for PhD applicants.