Join the lab

Interested in joining our lab? We are always looking for talented students at all levels with an interest in the speech motor system.

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Masters, capstone, and undergraduate students

We welcome masters, capstone, and undergraduate students to participate in the lab. Students are involved in a range of lab activities, including data collection, data analysis, participant recruitment, and experiment design. Students typically participate in the lab for course credit, though depending on lab needs, as well as the student’s status and prior research experience, some hourly positions may be available. Students interested in working in the lab should fill out the survey found here. Be prepared to submit a letter of interest as well as a resume. You will need to be logged in to Google with your UW–Madison NetID to access the form.

Ph.D. students

New graduate students interested in joining the lab should apply through the Ph.D. program in the  Communication Sciences and Disorders department or through the Neuroscience Training Program. Students in other labs or programs the University of Wisconsin–Madison are also able to have an affiliation with the lab if interested. Interested students should email the lab director, Ben Parrell (bparrell@wisc.edu), for more details.

Postdoctoral researchers

Our lab is not currently recruiting for any postdoctoral research positions. However, interested researchers are encouraged to explore our website and reach out to the PIs of the Speech Motor Neuroscience Group if they are interested in joining the lab. Additional information, mostly taken from the last time our lab was recruiting, is listed below.

The Speech Motor Neuroscience Group at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has previous invited applicants of postdoctoral research positions in the field of speech motor control and learning / speech motor neuroscience. The group consists of two research labs, the Brain, Language, & Acoustic Behavior (BLAB) lab (directed by Carrie Niziolek) and the Speech Motor Action + Control (SMAC) lab (directed by Ben Parrell), both funded through grants from the NIH and the NSF. Postdoctoral scholars interact with vibrant research communities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, including the Waisman Center (which houses both labs) and the Neuroscience Training Program.

Postdocs in the Speech Motor Neuroscience Group are encouraged to develop additional lines of research in related topic areas, including predictive coding of self-produced vocalizations, feedback-driven speech learning, dynamics of native and non-native speech production, speech motor control in individuals with neurological disorders, computational modeling of the speech motor system, and comparisons of speech and nonspeech motor control systems.  Additionally, there are opportunities for developing new studies employing structural and functional MRI, MEG, and TMS. 

Required qualifications (as listed for recent appointments):

  • PhD or equivalent in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, linguistics, communication sciences and disorders, or a closely related field
  • A documented history of research productivity 
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Leadership and organizational skills 

Useful qualifications (as listed for recent appointments):

  • Experience collecting and analyzing human behavioral data, MEG, EEG, MRI, and/or TMS data
  • Computational skills, including MATLAB
  • Advanced knowledge and expertise in statistics

Salary and benefits are based on NIH guidelines, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Interested candidates should email both PIs, Carrie Niziolek <cniziolek@wisc.edu> and Ben Parrell <bparrell@wisc.edu>.