The Research Scholars Program offers an intensive two-year post-baccalaureate training experience at the intersection of research and clinical practice. Based in the Division of Developmental Medicine (DDM) at Boston Children’s Hospital, scholars will work in an interdisciplinary environment within the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Research Labs. Scholars will hold a full-time, salaried Clinical Research Assistant position, with protected time for mentored independent projects and didactics.
Applications for the Research Scholars Program 2026 are now open!
Application deadline: March 16, 2026
Anticipated start date: Candidates must be available to start work on or before June 15th, 2026
Applications must be submitted via our Research Scholars Application form. Please review the Call for Applications 2026 for program details and application guidelines.
We welcome general applications to the program that highlight the candidate’s specific research interests and potential fit with our labs. We will continue to update details about which labs will be accepting Scholars as that information is available. Please check back for updated information before submitting your application.
At this time, we anticipate having the following positions for Scholars:
- The Nelson Lab has an opportunity for a Scholar to work with the Early Learning and Experience: Variability in Assessment and Trajectories in Early childhood (ELEVATE) study that will be validating behavioral measures used to assess learning and development in preschoolers. The Scholar will assist with recruitment and scheduling families, collecting quantitative and qualitative behavioral data. The research project might involve investigating neural predictors recorded in infancy for these preschool cognitive and language skills. Experience with young children is essential for this position.
- The Arnett Lab is seeking a Scholar to contribute to an investigation of genetic causes of ADHD in children and families. This study involves a collaboration with the Doan Lab, in the Department of Genetics and Genomics. The Scholar will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to recruit and enroll families, collect behavioral and diagnostic data, process DNA samples, and conduct functional analyses of genetic variants. Thus, this position will span both wet lab and human subjects research.
- The Faja Lab has an opportunity for a Scholar - pending confirmation of funding - to participate in a clinical trial related to executive control and repetitive behaviors in autism. The Scholar will assist with biomarker and behavioral data collection and may have the opportunity to deliver intervention. Fluency in Spanish is required for this position.