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Work with IDEEAS Lab

A practical guide for prospective PhD students, undergraduate researchers, and collaborators interested in AI, engineering education, and decision-making research.

Recruiting Status

The lab is open to well-aligned students and collaborators, with undergraduate roles tied to active projects.

Prospective PhD students should reach out when their interests clearly connect to the lab's research. Undergraduate openings are listed by project when specific roles are active. Funding and admissions timelines vary by cycle, so the first step is a fit-oriented conversation.

Open projects
12
Listed roles
10
First step
Specific email

Pathways

Choose the path that matches your intent

Contact guide

Prospective PhD student

Lead with research fit.

A strong first note explains the questions you want to study, why IDEEAS Lab is a fit, and how your prior work prepares you for independent research.

Send
CV, research interests, 1-2 connected papers or projects, and an optional writing/code artifact.
Timing
Best before department application deadlines.
Email about PhD fit

Undergraduate researcher

Start from an active project role.

Undergraduate RAs usually join through project-specific roles with concrete tasks, expected skills, and semester-scale commitments.

Send
Resume, weekly availability, relevant coursework, preferred project areas, and an optional portfolio link.
Timing
Best when roles are posted or before a new semester.
View open roles

Academic collaborator

Bring the research question.

Collaboration inquiries are most productive when they name a decision context, dataset or field site, timeline, and intended scholarly output.

Send
Draft aims, study protocol, dataset description, proposal idea, or publication plan.
Timing
Best before study design or data collection decisions are locked.
Explore collaboration

After You Email

How the conversation usually moves

  1. 01We check fit with current projects, advising capacity, and timelines.
  2. 02If there is a match, we schedule a conversation or suggest a project contact point.
  3. 03For student roles, follow-up may include a small task, writing sample, or project meeting.

First-email checklist

A concise, specific note is better than a long generic one. Make it easy to understand the fit.

  • Name your path: PhD applicant, undergraduate RA, collaborator, or another role.
  • Connect your interests to a project, paper, or research theme.
  • Attach a CV or resume and one relevant artifact when available.
  • Include timeline, weekly availability, funding needs, or application cycle.

Read Before Reaching Out

A short orientation list

PaperUsing generative AI for large-scale qualitative analysis of social media posts to understand why people leave computer scienceJournal of Engineering Education, 2025Method paperThematic analysis with open-source generative AI and machine learning: A new method for inductive qualitative codebook developmentHumanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2026ProjectCAREER: Minds and Machines: Exploring Engineering Faculty Member Mental Models of Generative AI and Instructional DecisionsNational Science Foundation CAREER Award - 2024-2028

Ready to start the conversation?

Use the contact guide if you want help choosing a path, or email directly if you already know your fit.

Use the contact guideEmail Andrew