LHSI Intern: Research Assistant focused on recruitment, scheduling, and running psychologically focused human subjects study visits

Program Summary:    

This internship is offered as a part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI). This program connects 125 IU Indianapolis undergraduates per year with internships on campus with faculty and staff in a variety of health and science related campus areas/programs. All LHSI internships start in August 2025 and end in May 2026 and are paid $13/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required.  

Supervisor: Dr. Kelsey Wiggs 

Department/Office: Riley Hospital for Children; Psychiatry 

Overview of the internship site: The research in my lab focuses on understanding the development, course, and treatment of ADHD in females, girls, and women. Much of what is known about ADHD is based on research conducted on males, and as a result females are diagnosed and treated much later on average, which means that they struggle longer and often blame themselves for their symptoms. The research that my lab focuses on aims to better understand how ADHD develops and presents in females in order to disrupt these processes and improve health outcomes for this population. 

Website for more information: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/68430/wiggs-kelsey   

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Research assistants would help with recruitment, scheduling, study visits, and data entry. I would also meet with students regularly to provide professional development, set goals, and provide mentorship and support toward those goals. Interested research assistants, especially those interested in working together for more than a year, would have opportunities to build additional skills and/or complete research projects (e.g., honors thesis, poster  presentation, contributing to or leading a research article). 

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in a lab setting and an office setting with dress code business casual 

Project-specific qualifications: Applicants should strive to be sensitive toward patients with ADHD and mental health difficulties and be curious and open to learning and growing. Majors in psychology or related fields (e.g., pre-med, neuroscience) are encouraged to apply, though any applicant that believes this research would be a fit for their career goals is welcome as well. 

Hours per week: flexible based on student needs (10 maximum); some flexibility and/or subject to change, though Monday and Tuesday availability is preferred at present 

By the end of the LHSI program, you will: 

Carefully consider, explore, and articulate your career goals, including an analysis of how you arrived at that path and what steps you need to take next. (Community Contributor, Communicator) 

Understand your role and strengths on a professional team and analyze who you would like to become as a professional. (Communicator) 

Gain and strengthen skills relevant to next steps after graduation, such as communication, collaboration, teamwork, analysis/synthesis/evaluation, independence, confronting/challenging failure, problem-solving and perseverance, and constructive criticism. (Problem Solver, Communicator) 

Convey ideas and knowledge effectively through an ePortfolio and presentation of your internship work. (Problem Solver, Communicator) 

Set and meet your own additional learning goals identified with your supervisor. 

LHSI Qualifications    

must be graduating May 2027 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2025)   

Current full time IU Indianapolis undergraduate in 2025-26  

minimum overall GPA of 2.0   

All majors welcome 

To apply: 

LHSI accepts 125 interns per year. All available sites are listed in Handshake and will start with the position title “LHSI Intern.” Complete the application for LHSI at go.iu.edu/lhsi and list 3-4 internship sites on that application. You will meet with at least 2 of these if selected for interviews.