New AU scholar program gives psychology students global research experience
ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University is providing undergraduate psychology students an opportunity to become part of a global network of researchers and to contribute to projects that address important questions about human behavior and experience through its new Psychological Research Scholar program.
Students in the Psychological Research Scholar program, which is being formally launched this fall, will major in psychology and follow a curriculum tailored to their individual goals. Through coursework and hands-on experiences, they will develop skills in data analysis, scientific writing and teamwork while learning to organize and interpret research studies, explore questions about human behavior, communicate complex ideas clearly and collaborate across cultures and disciplines.
The program also provides students with opportunities to engage directly with researchers at other universities. Each year, AU will collaborate with another university participating in global research studies. Students and an AU faculty member will travel to the partner institution to learn about its research and connect with its faculty and students, with the partner group subsequently visiting Ashland University. Indiana University will serve as the program’s collaborating institution in 2027.
Psychological Research Scholars will also have opportunities to attend professional conferences, such as the Midwestern Psychological Association in Chicago, where they can present their research and share their findings with other scholars.
“The Psychological Research Scholar program represents a tremendous opportunity for our psychology students. It connects our undergraduates with researchers from across the globe to engage in cutting-edge psychological research. These experiences help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills, while preparing them to contribute to the scientific community through conference presentations and scholarly publications,” said Mitchell Metzger, Ph.D., provost at AU. “As a former psychology faculty member who has long championed undergraduate research, I am thrilled to see our students make meaningful contributions to the field of psychological science.”
The Psychological Research Scholar program grew out of the Psychological Science Accelerator, an innovation founded in 2017 by Chris Chartier, Ph.D., professor of psychology at AU. Chartier created the PSA to improve the quality and reach of psychological research by increasing data collection across diverse populations and enabling researchers around the world to collaborate on large-scale studies.
Today, the PSA includes a network of 4,000 researchers in 70 countries working together to better understand human behavior across cultures and populations. In 2022, it won an Einstein Foundation Award recognizing its contributions to “raising scientific standards by ensuring that research is truly diverse and democratic.”
The PSA has contributed directly or indirectly to dozens of studies published in scientific journals. Most recently, several members of AU’s Department of Psychology were co-authors on “Systemizing Confidence in Open Research and Evidence,” a large-scale research project featured on the cover of Nature magazine in April.
Fourteen AU students are currently part of the Psychological Research Scholar program. With its formal launch, Chartier hopes to expand the program to 20 new students in fall 2027.
“The Psychological Research Scholar program gives our students an exceptional and unique undergraduate experience. They aren’t simply learning about psychological research in a classroom—they’re actively contributing to it, working with real data and collaborating with researchers from around the world,” said Chartier. “That combination of hands-on experience and professional development gives Ashland University psychology students an outstanding foundation for graduate study and careers in psychology and related fields.”
For more information, visit the Psychological Research Scholar website.