I will be reviewing applications for the Fall 2027 cycle. I am accepting applications for the Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research Program (CSPR) and Personality, Individual Differences, and Behavior Genetics (PIB) areas.
Due to the volume of emails from potential applicants, I unfortunately cannot respond to everyone as personally as I’d like to. I say this to calibrate expectations for email communication with me and to make it clear that it’s not about you if my replies are delayed or short.
Before applying, please review the general information for University of Minnesota psychology PhD applicants. I’ve also provided information about what I’m looking for in a graduate student below. If you have specific questions that are not addressed by these sources, you are welcome to email me.
I am best suited to mentor a trainee interested in pursuing an academic research career. My evaluation criteria come down to 1) goodness-of-fit in terms of trainee’s goals and what I can offer as a mentor and 2) likelihood of success in an academic career.
Here are the main areas I focus on when reviewing applications:
Strong, developed interest in the type of research we do in the lab. I’m looking for trainees excited about dimensional models of psychopathology, the interface of personality with psychopathology, or contextualized behavior dynamics. It’s perfectly okay for you to carve your own research niche, in fact that’s the goal, but there has to be some overlap in interests for me to be an effective mentor. You can convey this through your statement of purpose.
Perseverance. Academic training and careers involve lots of rejection, failure, and delayed gratification. Being able to work hard and persist in the face of these challenges is essential. This quality can be evidenced in your statement of purpose and noted by your letter writers.
Independent research experience (e.g., leading a senior thesis or research project, first-author posters, talks, or papers). It’s not necessary to have a first-author publication in a peer-reviewed journal, but some experience is the most direct evidence of aptitude and preparedness for graduate school.
Strong reasoning and writing skills. Thinking and writing make up the core of almost everything we do in an academic career, so it is vital to have some basic abilities in these areas to succeed (and enjoy) this job. This will be evident in verbal/analytic GRE scores and writing samples.
Enthusiasm about quantitative methodology. Research in this lab primarily uses quantitative methods. Prior quantitative training can grease the wheels while in graduate school, but it’s not necessary. What’s most important is showing an eagerness to learn, on top of basic proficiency. In addition to quantitative GRE scores, doing well in an undergraduate statistics course, attending workshops, or completing an independent research project are good indicators for this criterion.
Less “formal” characteristics I value include curiosity, interpersonal effectiveness, and creativity. I also strongly encourage people to apply who are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds or who have followed an untraditional career path. For more on what I’m looking for, I recommend reading this list of qualities for a successful graduate student, as it aligns well with my perspective.
Undergraduates interested in research opportunities with this lab must be enrolled in PSY 5993 (Directed Research).
I accept applications until the week before Fall and Spring semesters. At that point, I review applications and contact select students for a Zoom interview. Please email Dr. Whitney Ringwald with specific questions about working in the lab.
Applications for Spring 2026 are now closed. Applications for Fall 2026 can be submitted starting August 17 2026.
As a research assistant (RA) in this lab, you are expected to attend a weekly lab meeting, lead presentations on scientific articles, assist with various study tasks, and complete an original group research study by the end of the semester. In past semesters, RAs have presented poster versions of the group projects at university and statewide events. Here are some examples:
