For Undergraduate Students
Research Assistant (including Research Engagement course credit)
Thanks for your interest in the TDC Co-Lab!
Motivated undergraduate students who want to make a difference in dementia care are encouraged to reach out to us and apply to join the TDC Co-Lab. The responsibilities of a research assistant (RA) in the TDC Co-Lab are diverse and depend on current projects and partnerships. However, RAs can expect to participate in some combination of the following activities: literature reviews, coding and transcribing audio data, participant interviews, and community events.
If you’re interested in being a RA in the TDC Co-Lab, you can click the link below to fill out an application and send your CV and a copy of your unofficial transcript to TDC_lab@sfu.ca. Selected applicants will be offered an interview with Dr. Polsinelli and an interview with the current student lab members. Successful applicants will be offered an RA position with a minimum commitment of two semesters. Please note all RA positions are currently unpaid.
If the lab is not currently looking for new RAs, you can always submit an application and indicate that you’d like to put on a waitlist to be considered for the next round of interviews.
Honours Student
A student is required to spend at least two semesters as an RA in the TDC Co-Lab before an application to the Honours program is considered. All Honours candidates are also required to complete a Directed Studies with Dr. Polsinelli the summer before starting their Honours. Doing a Directed Studies in the summer ensures students can establish their research question, identify data sources, complete their literature review, and submit the necessary REB application. RAs who want to do an Honours would notify Dr. Polsinelli no later than April 30.
For example, if a student wants to do their Honours in 2027, they need to have started as an RA in the TDC Co-Lab in Fall 2026 and continue the RA position through Spring 2027. They would then need to notify Dr. Polsinelli by April 30 2027 that they would like to do Honours. If Dr. Polsinelli agrees to take the student for Honours, the student would take a Directed Studies with Dr. Polsinelli in summer 2027. Dr. Polsinelli and the student would then work on the Honours application and submit it by June 1 2027.