Currently Recruiting

PhD Students

1–2 positions
Expected start: Fall 2027

We are looking for prospective PhD students interested in topics including:

• Functional MRI and neuroimaging
• Affective and cognitive neuroscience
• Emotion generation and emotion regulation
• Computational neuroimaging and machine learning
• Brain bioenergetics, metabolic health, and mental health
• Resilience and cognitive/affective aging

Prospective students from psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, biomedical engineering, computer science, statistics, and related backgrounds are encouraged to reach out.

Research Assistant

1 full-time position
Expected start: Spring 2027

The Research Assistant will contribute to human neuroscience research involving behavioral experiments, MRI/fMRI, emotion and emotion regulation, physiological and biological measures, and neuroimaging data analysis.

The official UT Dallas job posting will be linked here once it becomes available.

Interested? Please see the detailed information below about our research, training environment, and what we look for in lab members.

About Joining the AIMM Lab

We are excited to build a collaborative, supportive, and intellectually curious lab at the intersection of affective neuroscience, neuroimaging, brain bioenergetics, and mental health.

Our lab studies how the brain generates and regulates emotion, how bioenergetic health shapes high-demand brain systems, and how these processes contribute to resilience, aging, and mental health. We use tools including fMRI, EEG, computational modeling, machine learning, behavioral experiments, and peripheral biomarkers.

We welcome people from diverse backgrounds, including psychology, neuroscience, engineering and computer science, statistics, biology, and related fields. Prior experience in all of these areas is not required. More important are curiosity, reliability, openness to learning, and excitement about interdisciplinary research.

Who we are looking for

Good fits for the lab may be interested in one or more of the following areas:

• Affective neuroscience
• MRI, EEG, and multimodal brain imaging
• Mitochondrial function, fatigue, aging, and mental health
• Computational modeling and machine learning
• Intervention approaches, including neurofeedback, brain stimulation, exercise, sleep, or metabolic and lifestyle interventions

We especially value lab members who enjoy working across disciplines and are excited to connect rigorous quantitative methods with meaningful questions about human emotion and well-being.

PhD students

I plan to recruit PhD students whose research interests align with one or more of the AIMM Lab’s research directions in Fall 2027. I especially welcome students who want to develop greater independence in shaping their own research questions and projects over the course of their PhD.

Applicants with backgrounds in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science, or related fields are especially encouraged to apply. I am particularly interested in students who are self-motivated, intellectually curious, and willing to communicate openly and work collaboratively. I believe that a productive mentor–mentee relationship depends on mutual fit in research interests, expectations, and communication, so I encourage prospective students to consider whether the AIMM Lab is a good fit for their goals as well.

Prior research experience is preferred, but students are not expected to already have expertise in every method we use. A major part of PhD training is developing new skills, and I see mentorship and training as an important part of my role as an advisor. My goal is to help students build the scientific and methodological skills they need while gradually developing greater independence in their research.

Prospective PhD students should apply through the relevant graduate program at UT Dallas. Before applying, you are welcome to email me with a brief description of your research interests, background, and why you are interested in the AIMM Lab.

A helpful email would include:

• A short description of your research interests
• Your prior research experience
• Your methodological interests or skills
• A CV or resume
• Any specific questions about the lab or graduate training

Research assistants

The AIMM Lab will recruit full-time research assistants, ideally beginning in Spring 2027. These positions may be especially well suited for individuals preparing for graduate school who want hands-on experience across multiple stages of the research process.

Research assistants may be involved in:

• Preparing IRB protocols and study materials
• Designing, programming, piloting, and running emotion and emotion regulation experiments
• Recruiting, screening, and scheduling participants
• Running behavioral studies and collecting questionnaire and physiological measures
• Assisting with MRI and fMRI study sessions
• Assisting with basic biospecimen collection and processing
• Organizing and quality-checking research data
• Learning and contributing to behavioral and neuroimaging data analysis

Because our research integrates multiple levels of measurement, research assistants can gain experience with the full process of human neuroscience research, from study development and data collection to analysis and interpretation.

Experience with psychology or neuroscience research, MRI, experimental programming, statistics, physiology, or biospecimen collection and processing is a plus, but training will be provided as appropriate. We especially value curiosity, reliability, attention to detail, willingness to learn, and an interest in working collaboratively with research participants and other lab members.

Undergraduate research assistants

The AIMM Lab welcomes undergraduate students interested in gaining hands-on research experience. Undergraduate RAs may assist with participant recruitment and data collection, literature review, behavioral data processing, and, when appropriate, neuroimaging or computational analysis.

Prior research experience is not required. Students who can make a consistent time commitment and are interested in learning more about our work are encouraged to reach out.

Lab environment

My goal is to build a lab that is rigorous, supportive, and collaborative. We aim to do careful science while also creating an environment where people can grow as researchers, learn new scientific skills, and enjoy the process of discovery.

I believe everyone has their own interests and life goals, and those goals do not have to be limited to an academic career. I encourage you to share what you hope to learn and where you would like to go before joining the lab. I will do my best to understand your goals, align them with opportunities in the lab, and find projects that help you grow in the direction that is meaningful to you.

The path of research can be exciting and rewarding, but it can also be challenging and, at times, lonely. I have been fortunate throughout my own journey to meet mentors, colleagues, and friends who were kind and generous, shared similar goals and dreams, and made that journey much more meaningful. I hope to offer the next generation of researchers the same kind of support that others have given me, and to help each person in the lab pursue their own goals and dreams.

How to contact us

If you are interested in joining the lab, please email me at Ke.Bo@UTDallas.edu