We invite applications for 2 main types of position: undergraduates looking to gain research experience, and applications for graduate study (the MA and PhD programs). On occasion, we also advertise for paid Research Assistantships through the UBC careers site, but this page is not relevant to those positions.
We are mindful that undergraduate research opportunities and graduate admissions are both traditionally associated with various sources of privilege and inequities that affect academia more broadly. The Centre for Gambling Research is committed to improving diversity and inclusion in research. We strive to create a research environment that is inclusive to all trainees, regardless of family background, gender, race, sexual orientation, age, physical health or disability.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities:
The Centre hosts undergraduate Research Assistants across a variety of programs, including:
- PSYC240 – typically for students without prior research experience
- COGS402 research projects
- the Psychology Honours program projects
- Directed Studies – these are single-term projects that are mostly used when a student has a clear project idea of their own (e.g. students from Psyc335)
- Summer studentships, incl. NSERC USRA, WLIURA and Psychology Quinn awards (these typically have deadlines in Jan-Feb)
We also take on students in a voluntary capacity, but the advantages of a formal program is that the student receives course credit, and these projects have clearer expectations and endpoints. We typically look for a 2 term commitment (e.g. for COGS 402 or DS, students may spend an initial term preparing their project, including any ethics permissions).
Some projects involve working under the day-to-day supervision of a graduate student or post-doc, while some involve direct supervision by Dr Clark. We typically expect a time commitment of 7.5 hours per week, and the research assistant should expect to attend supervisions (e.g. individual or study team, weekly or biweekly) as well as lab meetings.
We do not routinely take on students before completion of the second year, because we expect students to have taken introductory psychology (Psyc 101 & 102) and research methods (Psyc 217 & 218 or equivalent). If you have taken, or are currently enrolled in, Dr Clark’s Psyc 335 class, be sure to mention this because this course provides an excellent foundation for a research placement.
Many projects will involve recruiting, screening, and testing of human participants, and some studies involve community participants. Strong interpersonal skills, and being punctual and reliable, are key requirements — but do not necessarily require prior research experience. We are mindful of the ‘Catch 22’ of obtaining a first placement for research experience; if you do not have prior research experience, there are plenty of other real-world skills that can be useful (e.g. coding or graphic design, or any jobs outside of your studies that involve ‘customer-facing’ roles). We also offer some projects involving data science, coding, or literature-based projects.
Some recent example projects:
Psychology Directed Studies: “An investigation into the relationship between gambling stream consumption and gambling intentions”
Psychology Honours project: “The Illusion of Control in Online Slot Machine Gambling: A Preregistered Conceptual Extension of Langer and Roth (1975)”
Psychology Honours project: “Monetary Reward Uncertainty and Consumption Behaviours: A Direct Replication of Rauwolf et al. (2021)”
Summer studentship: “Prevalence of High-risk Design Features in Sports Betting Websites in Canada“
Psychology Honours project: “Finding Excuses: Justifications and Permissive Beliefs in Problem Gambling”
Undergraduate Research Opportunities – HOW TO APPLY:
Currently, we make most of our selections of research assistantship positions in September, for the Winter 1 and Winter 2 terms, and we use the PSYC 240 portal (in 2025, this will open on 2 July and our lab application window will close 15 Aug). Importantly, students should use the 240 portal to apply not only for PSYC 240, but also COGS 402, Directed Studies, or volunteer placements. In cases where we take on a further student in January or April, these are typically Psyc335 students.
Students in the Psychology Honours program should email Dr. Clark directly over the summer, and students interested in summer placements should email Dr. Clark prior to the February deadlines. You can email luke.clark@psych.ubc.ca including a copy of your CV and a short description of why you are interested in research on gambling, and what you hope to gain from the placement. See example contact letter here.
Graduate applicants:
Prospective graduate students are encouraged to consult the UBC Psychology webpage on how to apply, entry requirements, and opportunities for funding (see below). For 2026 admissions, Dr Clark will consider applications to the Psychology (Cognitive Science) program only, and is not requiring GRE scores. Dr Clark is eligible to consider applicants to the UBC Neuroscience program, but do bear in mind that we typically accept a maximum of one student per year, and the Psychology program has earlier deadlines and adjudication dates.
To consider whether the Centre for Gambling Research is likely to be a good fit for you, please think about the following:
- Our students are motivated, enthusiastic, and dedicated, with a strong interest in gambling behaviour seen through the lens of psychology. Graduate research involves team-work, and requires strong interpersonal skills and an ability to receive and respond to feedback.
- Our successful applicants typically have undergraduate backgrounds in Psychology. Successful applicants tend to have prior research experience in areas such as judgment and decision-making, or addiction science. We recognize that gambling is a small field and many applicants will not have prior experience in gambling per se, but a basic familiarity with the (Canadian) gambling landscape is expected.
- Research at the Centre cuts across many aspects of gambling behaviour, including psychological and clinical aspects, but also broadening into data science, behavioural economics, public health.
- Applicants will be expected to have reasonably strong technical skills, including statistics and programming. Students will be expected to have some background in scientific writing as well as oral presentation of research.
If you are planning to apply to graduate school under my supervision, please send a CV and brief description of your research interests, to luke.clark@psych.ubc.ca. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for in-person interviews (typically in February) which will include meetings with other Faculty members in Psychology as well as meetings with current Graduate students in the lab.