Summer Vertical Integration Program (VIP)

The Psychology VIP (or Vertical Integration Program) is a summer research program offered by the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience that provides Psychology students with the opportunity to participate in an intensive mentored research experience. In addition to their research, students attend seminars, professional development workshops, and a statistics workshop. At this time, we anticipate that this year’s program will run from May 13 through July 11.

Due to shifting priorities at the level of the Provost, this year’s program will operate somewhat differently than it has in the past. Below is information about the 2025 VIP:

Who is eligible?

• This program is open to declared or intended Psychology majors only. (Neuroscience students have their own summer research program, Summer Neuroscience Program or SNP.)
• Two students will participate from each lab:
  • a rising senior in Psychology who is planning/making progress on a distinction thesis project in that lab, and
  • a rising junior or sophomore, also a Psychology major or intended Psychology major, who is new to research and/or a member of an underrepresented group.
• During the program, both students will be mentored by the faculty member and others in the lab (post-docs, graduate students, and/or post-bacs) and make progress on their separate projects, as well as assist with other projects in the lab in order to develop and practice important research skills.

Please note that students are allowed to participate in VIP only once during their time at Duke. Students who participate as a rising junior or sophomore will not be eligible to apply/take part again.

What does the program entail?

Expectations of undergraduate participants include:

• Spending 20-30 hours per week in lab. This includes time spent meeting with mentors, assisting with ongoing projects/studies, and conducting research for their own projects. This time does not include attendance at the weekly seminars or statistics workshop (~3 hours per week).
• Attendance at a weekly seminar series that includes faculty research talks, covers various professional development topics, and addresses issues relevant to graduate school in Psychology.
• Attendance at a weekly workshop on statistical analysis using R (taught by a graduate student in P&N).
• Deliverables: At the end of the program, students will present a slide deck talk to other program attendees and mentors, and present their research in a poster symposium that is open to the University community. Completion of pre- and post-program assessments, check-in meetings with program coordinators, and feedback sessions with mentors.

Who can serve as a faculty mentor, and how do I find one?

• Primary and Joint Graduate Training faculty in P&N are eligible to serve as mentors for VIP, as well as certain Secondary faculty. (Clicking the tabs on the right side of this page will show you which faculty members fall into each category: https://psychandneuro.duke.edu/people/appointed-faculty/primary-faculty). Other faculty members engaging in psychology research may be eligible, as well, if a Primary or Joint Graduate Training faculty member is willing to serve as the “mentor of record.”
• Some students already have connections with faculty members from previous classes or research experiences.
• If you are new to research and don’t have a mentor in mind yet, let your research interests guide you. Most students find their way to a mentor based on their research interests. You can get a good idea of faculty interests by going to https://psychandneuro.duke.edu/people/appointed-faculty/primary-faculty. Clicking on a faculty member’s name will send you to an overview of their work, titles of recent publications, and additional information.
• If you want to apply to VIP to gain experience in a particular lab this summer, please reach out to the faculty member to ask whether they would like to take part in the program, and if they would be willing to support your application. Also recall that another student would have to be paired with you in the same lab in order for your application to be considered.

When will VIP take place this year? Must I be in Durham for all 9 weeks?

• The program will run from May 13 through July 11.

• VIP participants are required to be in residence (i.e., in Durham, being active in lab) during at least 7 of the 9 program weeks

• VIP participants must be in residence during the last week of the program (Monday, July 7 through Friday, July 11), so they may take part in the presentations and poster session that conclude the program.

• Students who must be away during any week other than the last week will need to clear their plans with their faculty advisor.

Is this a paid experience?

• To help support their living expenses during the program, VIP participants receive a

$4,500 stipend paid in two installments of $2250 each.

• During the program, students may be able to work for a limited number of hours on Campus or somewhere external to Duke, but they should receive the approval of, and coordinate their schedules with, their faculty advisors.