Dr. Zinger

JOB OPENING! Location: VA Palo Alto / Menlo Park, CA. VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Dr. Haijing Hallenbeck is hiring a full-time research coordinator to assist with a VA-funded study based at the Menlo Park VA campus, ideally starting in October 2026. The study involves building and testing a mobile health intervention to improve symptoms and functioning in Veterans with PTSD and depression. Responsibilities include: recruiting, screening, and scheduling participants; conducting in-person study visits; and managing data and assisting with data analysis and manuscript preparation. On-site work is required. Experience conducting clinical interviews (e.g., SCID-5) is a plus but not required. High attention to detail and strong interpersonal and organizational skills are desired. The research assistant will also support other studies involving mobile health assessments or interventions in a Veteran population. Additionally, they will receive research mentoring and other opportunities for professional development (e.g., presenting at conferences). This position is an ideal fit for aspiring applicants to graduate or medical school looking to gain research experience at the intersection of mental health and technology.

Basic Requirements: Must be a U.S. Citizen and authorized to work in the U.S.; Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Psychology, Neuroscience, Social Sciences, Public Health, or related field; and at least one year of previous research experience

Job Type: Full-time, W2

Position Duration: Minimum commitment of one year, preferred commitment of three years

Salary Range: $63,081-$77,161, depending on degree and experience

To be considered for the position, please email Dr. Hallenbeck at [email protected] with a cover letter and resume/CV, along with contact information for two references. Review of materials will be conducted on a rolling basis until the role is filled.

Ever notice how much more confident you feel when someone agrees with you? 🤔 New research suggests that agreement does more than make us feel validated. It can actually strengthen our original impressions and make our judgments feel more certain.

In a series of studies, people who received agreement from others not only felt more connected and trusting toward those individuals but also became more convinced that their initial evaluations were correct. While agreement can help create a shared sense of reality, it may also reinforce biases and turn uncertain impressions into firm beliefs.

A good reminder that when making important decisions, it can be helpful to sit with a little uncertainty before seeking validation. Sometimes, the first person who agrees with us can make an opinion feel "obviously right" when the situation is actually more complex. 📚🧠 Read more here: https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/lamers-masi-echterhoff-power-of-agreement?_zs=EM7eX&_zl=Hxx15

Congratulations to UCI Psychology Post-Bacc student Raelyne (Rae) Mendoza, who was recently admitted to the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at the University of Washington - Seattle! She has accepted their offer and will begin this program in Fall 2026.

A little bit about Rae: Rae graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Counseling from Sacramento State in May 2023. During her undergraduate studies, she interned as a Peer Counselor at Sac State's Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS), where she trained in basic counseling and crisis intervention skills to support peers in virtual sessions. After completing the internship, she was hired as a Lead Peer Counselor, focusing on marketing, producing wellness content, and recruiting. While working for SHCS, she was accepted into the Student Affairs Leaders of Tomorrow program to learn wellness program development and assessment, bridging her interests in mental well-being and policy. As a post-bacc student, Rae has been working in Dr. Pressman's Stress, Emotion, and Physical Health (STEP) Lab and in Dr. Silver’s Stress & Coping Lab, resulting in poster presentations at the 2025 Association for Psychological Science conference in Washington DC and the 2025 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program conference at UC Irvine; she also plans to attend the National Association of Social Workers conference later this month. In addition, she has been completing courses such as Advanced Research Methods, Positive Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Applied Statistics, Social Inequality, and Psychology & Public Policy, and in June 2025, she received the Outstanding Contribution to the Community award from the UCI School of Social Ecology.

So proud of you, Rae! Go Dawgs!

It's Walk-a-Mile Wednesday! Graduating this quarter and have questions about career or grad school options? Or just looking to take a break from Week 10 studying and paper writing? Either way, the Wednesday walk is the answer! Come do a loop around campus with me and some of your fellow anteaters tonight - we meet on ring road in front of DBH at 8pm. All are welcome!

VOTING DAY! Git-R-done!!

Today is Election Day and the last opportunity for voters across California to weigh in on the 2026 California Primary Election. Voting is your voice, and we encourage you to use it.

All mail ballots must be postmarked no later than today and received by June 9.

On campus, the vote center is open at the Gateway Study Center across from the Langson Library and at the Palo Verde Community Room. There is an additional vote center at University Hills Community Room today, as well. The hours of operation on this election day are 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

In addition, there is an Official Ballot Drop Box located on the corner of Campus Drive and West Peltason, near the kiosk at the entrance of parking lot 5. It will cease accepting ballots at 8:00 p.m.

Please take advantage of the hard-won right to participate in American democracy and use the most powerful tool you have to be sure your voice is heard.

Q***R LATINO MALE UCI STUDENTS WANTED! UCI Psychology student Alexis Lopez-Rodriguez is conducting research that examines the role of abuelas in the self-love process of q***r Latino college men. The criteria to participate are seen on the attached research flyer. Linked to the QR code is a very short interest form. This research is supported by UCI’s UROP, has IRB, and is conducted under the guidance of Alexis' faculty advisor, Dr. Jeanett Castellanos. Participants will be compensated with a $20 Amazon gift card after completing a 60-90 minute interview via Zoom! If you meet the criteria for this study, please consider participating - and in any case, please like and share!

JOB INTERVIEW TIPS! Some of you may be interested in this Forbes article entitled, "How to Answer the 7 Most Important Job Interview Questions":

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2020/12/10/how-to-answer-the-7-most-important-job-interview-questions/

It has super great advice to help you prepare for job interviews (and much of the advice can be applied to grad school interviews as well).

WEEK 10 EVENTS! Some of you may be interested in attending one (or more) of these events during Week 10:

1) Wednesday, June 3rd from 1pm to 2pm in the Counseling Center Main Office (203 Student Services I) or via Zoom ( https://uci.zoom.us/j/93071242693 ), the UCI Counseling Center will host a wellness workshop entitled, “Craft Psychology.” This workshop will explore how creative activities can support mental health and well-being.

2) Wednesday, June 3rd from 6pm to 7pm via Zoom ( https://uci.zoom.us/j/92885707031 ), the Wellness Initiative in Social Ecology Peer Advisory Collective will host a WISE Wednesday session featuring WISE PAC Chairs Eric Carcamo and Daphne Hankins.

3) Thursday, June 4th from 3pm to 4pm in the Counseling Center Main Office (203 Student Services I), the UCI Counseling Center will host a wellness workshop entitled, “Putting It All Together: Let’s Make Thrive Kits!” This workshop will focus on combining wellness tools and creating Thrive Kits.

Congratulations to UCI Psychological Science alum (BA '25) Melody Tu, who was recently admitted to the Marriage & Family Therapy (MFT) master's degree program at the University of Southern California (USC)! She will begin this program in July 2026, and she has the following advice for students/alumni who are thinking about applying to MFT master's programs: "I think it's really important to stay true to yourself during the application process. While writing my personal statement, I included stories from my childhood, school, and work, and connected that back to why I wanted to become a MFT and why I would be a good fit. Rather than simply listing out reasons of why you would be a good therapist, showing the program through specific life events and examples could demonstrate how you learned or utilize certain skills. For the interview process, it's best to just be yourself, and have a mindset of getting to know the faculty, and also deciding whether or not the program will be a good fit for you. Applying for any graduate program could be a stressful process, so I recommend starting early, and finding both professional and academic letter of recommendations (thank you Dr. Zinger!) as one of the first steps. Good luck to anyone applying to graduate school, and I hope this helps!"

So proud of you, Melody! Fight on!

JOB OPENING! Part-Time Lab Manager at UC Berkeley / Berkeley CA. The Social Origins Lab led by Professor Jan Engelmann is hiring a new part-time lab manager to begin this summer (2026). The lab investigates the evolution of intelligence by studying cognition in both human and non-human animals. The lab manager will be responsible for coordinating ongoing research, overseeing undergraduate research assistants, and carrying out various administrative duties. Additionally, the lab manager will have opportunities to work on research projects independently or alongside lab members and contribute to the publication of manuscripts. This position is ideal for individuals interested in gaining more research experience in psychology before applying to graduate school, though this is not required. Click here to apply or learn more information:

https://tinyurl.com/474uane5

Any questions can be directed towards the current lab manager at [email protected]