We're always looking for great students to come work with us in PeDEL! If you're excited about figuring out how we can make systems that are focused on empowering end-users, please have a look at some of the possibilities listed below:

Prospective PhD Students

PhD students are enrolled in the University of Utah’s Kahlert School of Computing, in either a computing or a computer science degree program. Students can choose a human-centered computing track or a classic computer science track, among others. Admitted students typically are guaranteed two semesters of funding by the school, with subsequent years funded by the lab faculty.

We encourage applications from students with degrees in computer science and related fields, but also from other areas, such as biomedical informatics, math, physics, design, psychology, etc. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are crucial. If you are unsure whether you are qualified, please get in touch.

Admissions are handled by the Kahlert School of Computing; the admission deadline is December 15. If you have any questions, please contact us before applying.

Current University of Utah Undergraduates and Masters Students

If you're interested in getting involved in research and one or more of our projects look interesting to you, please consider reaching out. People in our lab come from a variety of backgrounds, and we are always excited to share what it's like to do research in our lab. Typically, the best place to start is by enrolling in a class that teaches you the fundamentals of Human-Computer Interaction/Human-Centered Computing. For undergraduates, one example is CS 3540, and for graduates one example is CS 6540. As of Fall 2022, these are typically offered once per year in Fall semester, so plan accordingly. There are several possibilities for getting involved in PeDEL:

Attending lab meetings

PeDEL has a weekly lab meeting where we discuss a variety of things related to ongoing research in our lab. Some weeks we present our own works in progress and give feedback to each other, some weeks we pick a research paper to read and discuss, and sometimes we pick a topic to discuss. This is a fairly easy and low-investment way of getting an idea of what is going on in the lab and getting a glimpse into what we mean by "research." If you're interested in attending lab meetings, please get in touch.

Independent study, project, or thesis for course credit

Students who are interested in doing an independent study should reach out before the first week of the semester. You don't have to come with your own idea, but it would be a good idea to have a look at our projects and say what looks interesting to you. We will help you explore projects or develop your ideas. However, by the time the semester begins you need to have a clear plan for what you are going to do. Engaging in an independent study is a significant time commitment and requires the student to be self-driven and responsible to complete the work. The University's guideline is that you should plan to spend 3 hours of your week per credit-hour you take. You should expect that any independent study project will be for course credit only and will not be paid.

Paid research assistant roles

When specific opportunities arise for a paid research assistant position, information about that position will be listed here. If none are listed here, please do not contact us asking if we have any paid positions available.

Research engagement programs

Students can apply to a variety of research engagement programs, some of which provide funds to the student. We are very happy to host such students in our lab. Some programs at the University of Utah include:

• ACCESS Scholars Program. We've hosted ACCESS scholars including Ashlyn and Kelsey
• Engineering Scholars Program
• Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)