Below are the Current Research Assistants in the Alcohol Research Lab!

Faustine Viri – Lab Manager Senior, Biomedical Sciences Major; Psychology Minor

“Being a research assistant in the Alcohol Research Lab has been one of the most rewarding and insightful experiences I’ve had throughout my college journey. The studies that I have been involved in gave me a deeper understanding of research development and has allowed me to apply ideas that I learned in class. The article reviews we do has developed my scientific literacy which is extremely beneficial for my career goals. More than anything, being in this lab taught me to be more confident in myself and that I can accomplish what I put my mind to. It has been a privilege to be a part of the lab and to be working alongside so many amazing people.“

Jake Leach – Lab Manager Senior, Public Health and Psychology

“Working in the Alcohol Research Lab has been one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had at UB. Working in the lab has given me the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding about what goes into the research process and how to interpret scientific data. It is one thing to learn about research and psychology through course work but it is a whole other experience being able to engage in research and apply what I’ve learned, and the lab allows me to do just that. We do a lot of fascinating and important work in this lab and I am very fortunate to be a part of it along with my amazing and talented colleagues!“

Nate Weinstock – Senior, Biomedical Sciences Major; Addiction Studies Minor

“This lab has provided a deeper look into the complex process of creating a research project. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been involved with multiple studies and have gotten to see them start from scratch and grow until today, when participants are coming in for them. Another benefit has come from analyzing research articles, which has helped me be able to read through papers and pull out the important parts.“

Nimah Araf – Senior, Psychology and Health and Human Services Major; Counseling and English Minor

“Working in the Alcohol Research Lab has been an amazing experience for me. It’s been cool to work on the “other side” of things as a research assistant and see all the work that goes into a research project. I look forward to working in the lab in person now and I’m excited about our upcoming projects.”

Julia Kanjilal – Senior, Psychology

“Working as a research assistant in The Alcohol Research Lab has been an invaluable experience to me. Throughout my time in lab, I’ve been able to gain hands on experience in an area that I’m interested in and learned many skills along the way. I now feel very confident in my ability to work effectively in a research lab. I am fortunate to have had this experience and to have been surrounded by a fantastic group of graduate students and undergraduate RA’s.“

Omeed Tartak – Junior, Psychology Major; Music Performance Minor

“I’m looking forward to taking a hands-on approach to learning psychology. Too often, learning happens on slide show presentations, in the abstract. Research is an opportunity to instead learn by doing, to understand how we discover all the interesting ideas we learn about in class.“

Hana Dawood – Junior, Neuroscience Major; Addiction Studies Minor

“There are many things that I am excited about when it comes to working in this lab but mostly, I am looking forward to getting a hands on experience in research and develop skills that will help me with my career goals. I’m also looking forward to working and building relationships with people who share the same areas of interest as me.”

Lance Hill – Junior, Psychology and Philosophy

” What I look forward to in this lab is to gain hands-on experience in a lab setting and to learn more about the connection between alcohol and the mind.”

Nicole Guzman – Junior, Psychology and Criminology

“The ARL has given me the opportunity to be hangs on with research studies and protocols. I have gained a more well rounded understanding on the psychological research field. Also by working with Graduate students I have been able to learn from those that are more advanced in the psychological field.”

Lucia Fetkenhour – Senior, Psychology Major; English Minor

“The Alcohol Research Lab has given me the opportunity to learn more about clinical psychology research both in theory and in practice. I love learning about the psychological theories behind our research and being able to collect the data through running participants. I hope to continue learning about psychological theories and how they influence the creation of new research along with learning the methods of research creation, data collection, and analysis.”

For a list of previous research assistants, please see ARL Alumni.

Why be a Research Assistant?

Being a research assistant is a great hands on approach to learning more about the field of Psychology. You are able to work with other undergraduate students as well as have the opportunity to work with graduate students who are pursing degrees in this field and also serve as mentors who are willing to help undergraduate students considering getting a degree in the Psychology Field. Being a research assistant also helps students build connections for references by having the opportunity to work closely with a professor and their research.

Research assistants, even if not studying Psychology, learn valuable skills such as learning to work on a team, public speaking, as well as many other useful tools to help in future endeavors.

What do Research Assistants do?

• Collect data through running experimental sessions
• Enter data in spreadsheets
• Screen participants for experiment eligibility
• Attend weekly lab meetings
• Attend lab for a minimum of 8 hours a week.

Interested in being a Research Assistant? Submit an application to Dr. Read.