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Join the Grow to Care Lab!

Prospective Graduate Students

I will be accepting graduate students for Fall 2027 start (2026 application period). See details below: 

I am looking for creative and ambitious graduate students (M.A. or Ph.D.) who value theory, rigorous and transparent research, and knowledge mobilization initiatives within the area of developmental psychology to join my team. See our projects for more information about current focus areas in our research. 

I encourage you to apply to SFU's graduate program under my advisement if you:

  • Are interested and driven to better understand human development through the lens of emotion
  • Are eager to learn cutting-edge research methods
  • Have a good foundation of writing and presentation skills
  • Are an independent self-starter and work well in teams
  • Hold kindness and respect as core values in your scholarship and within your life

Vision for Graduate Student Training

I am seeking graduate students who wish to join the Psychology Graduate Program (Developmental Area). As an advisor, my goal is to prepare you for a career beyond graduate school (in academia or otherwise). Through the program and my mentorship, you will learn research-specific skills (i.e., developing hypotheses, desiging research studies, collecting data, analyzing data, writing and publishing manuscripts in top-tier journals, and presenting research findings) and other transferrable skills (e.g., leadership, communication, problem-solving, community-building, time management) that will set you up for success. Importantly, through th program, you will foster meaningful connections with other researchers, organizations, community leaders, and families.

Please carefully review SFU's graduate program information pages before you apply:

Requirements   Admission Info

Post-doctoral Researchers

The Grow to Care Lab is interested in supporting post-doctoral researchers via SSHRC's postdoctoral fellowship awards. 

Undergraduate Opportunities

Research Assistant

A research assistant position with the Grow to Care Lab is a training opportunity where you would develop key research skills under the guidance of Dr. Joanna Peplak. Your role would entail working within a team setting to engage in project development, participant recruitment and testing, transcription and data analysis. You are an ideal candidate if you meet the following qualifications:

  • Have or are in the process of taking PSYC250 (Intro to Developmental Psychology)
  • Minimum 3.0 GPA
  • Can commit to 6 hours and a one-hour team meeting weekly for at least one year
  • This opportunity aligns with your future goals

Thank you for your interest in our Research Assistant position at the Grow to Care lab!

At this time, we are not actively expanding our team. Our hiring cyles take place one month before the start of each semester. Please check back during these months to be considered. 

  • Spring: November-December 
  • Summer: March-April
  • Fall: July-August

Honours, Directed Study, or Research Engagement Program

Students who are interested in completing the PSYC 393 Research Engagement course, or the PSYC 493-494-495 Directed Studies course under the advisement of Dr. Peplak are required to have either: 

(1) had a prior class with Dr. Peplak, or

(2) have volunteered at the Grow to Care Lab for at least one semester.

Students who are interested in completing the honours program under the advisement of Dr. Peplak are required to have completed a research engagement or directed study with Dr. Peplak.

Some exceptions may apply.

Please see Lab Policies page for more information on how to apply.