Openings in the Lab.

>> Joining the lab?

### Currently, we may have one or two openings for Fall, 2024, who are interested in working on (1) category learing, and/or (2) word meaning through free association. Please see general information for this position below, and email Dr. Yim for details of the projects. TA/RA stipends are possibly but full funding is not currently guaranteed. ###


[Short version]

Checklist before considering to apply and/or sending me an email regarding graduate school. Note that we are housed in the Department of Data Science (Cognitive Science track) and students can't be accepted through other departments.

The below order aligns with the values I look for when recruiting graduate students.

  1. Our lab mainly conducts pure research to understand human cognition. Therefore, you need to have a genuine interest in human cognition, and a reseach question that aligns with the lab's goal. This will be the utmost factor that will be considered.
    • You should send me a short passage on how your research interest overlaps with the lab's goal -- try to be specific as possible, I recommend reading a couple of papers (journal articles/proceedings) published in the lab.
    • Check the lab RESEARCH page and PUBLICATION page.
      • Our research mainly focuses on human memory, and (category) learning, broadly defined. Currently, I will not be able to supervise students who have interests outside of this research theme. If you are not sure whether your research interest would fit with our lab's goal please send Dr. Yim an email.
    • Our lab does not directly do research in neuroscience or have support for brain imaging studies (e.g., EEG, fMRI).
      • Our research mainly relies on human experimentation (including eye-tracking and experience sampling), and building computational models based on these data.
    • Currently, the lab will only be admiting full-time students.
  2. English is the second thing that will be crucial for conducting research in the lab.
    • Research in the lab requires proficient English.
      • You need to know how to read and write in English and present your results in English. You don't have to be fluent right now but you need to consider this point as it will be crucial.
    • All courses in the Department are taught in English.
  3. Programming/Coding abilities will be expected.
    • Knowing how to code is critical for conducting experiments and analyzing the results in the lab.
    • Basic coding skills are required for some of the classes in the department.
    • The lab specializes in computational models, which requires programming skills.
    • Not having any programming background is not a big problem. However, you should consider that you will need to go through the basics before entering the program with my guidance.


[Long version]

We are currently looking for full-time graduate students who are insterested in joining the lab. We are recuiting students who have overlapping research interests in cognitive science and computational methods, or in using these disciplines to answer interesting questions regarding human cognition (broadly defined). Students who have an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Linguistics, Biology, Physics, Computer/Information/Data Science or related fields are encouraged to apply. More importantly, we prefer student who have experience and/or knowledge in (1) cognitive/experimental psychology (i.e., experience running human experiments with an interesting question), (2) basic behavioral statistics, and/or (3) computational modeling (i.e., cognitive, Bayesian, neural network models). Due to the nature of the studies conducted in the lab, having knowledge in basic programming (python/R/Matlab) is highly desirable (e.g., coding up your own experiment in Psychtoolbox, preprocessing your data, or being highly motivated to learn how to do this in a very short period). However, the most important thing is to have a genuine interest in understanding human cognition, and a reseach question that aligns with the lab's goal.

If you are interested in joining the lab., please check out the Research/Publication section and check if you have overlapping research interests -- the fit will be the most important factor! If you are considering to apply, or have any research questions that you want to discuss before applying (e.g., whether your research can be pursued in our lab), shoot Dr. Yim an email (hwyim[at_]hanyang.ac.kr). Please include a short passage on how your research interest overlaps with the lab's goal - it can be about your current interests for ongoing projects/papers, or can be new projects that align with what the lab is interested in. This is the minial requirement that should be included in your email in order to get back from Dr. Yim regarding graduate school. Try to be specific as possible rather than saying somethink like "I read your paper and it is interesting!" or "I have been very interested in psychological experiments for a long time!". Dr. Yim is also happy to discuss whether your skill sets are sufficient to pursue research conducted in the lab.

Assuming that you are sure about the fit, which is the far most important aspect, note that Dr. Yim can only accept students applying through the Department of Data Science (Cognitive Science program/track). The courses in the Department are taught in English and "may" require minimal knowledge of programming (please discuss this with Dr. Yim if you have no programming experience). Financial support (tuition and stipend through RA/TA appointments) is possible based on the current funding situation in the lab, and the relevant skill sets you have for the projects, but can not be guaranteed (again consult with Dr. Yim). There are scholarships through the graduate school http://www.grad.hanyang.ac.kr/, including generous ones especially if you are a recent graduate from Hanyang, or an international student (at least 50% off tuition).

Applications can be submitted through http://www.grad.hanyang.ac.kr/ for Korean citizens and http://oia.hanyang.ac.kr/ for internationals. The due date slightly changes each year and are different for citizens and international students. So please check the webpages.


There are no official openings for RA and/or post-doc positions. Please email Dr. Yim with expressing your interest regarding our research or possible research in the lab. if you are considering to join the lab with external funding. Reading the recruitment page for Graduate Students would be helpful when contacting Dr. Yim

We have opennings for undergraduate (or post-bacc) volunteers and interns. Internal recruitment for students attending Hanyang will usually happen right before the summer and winter vacations, and a link to the recruitment site will be posted here. However, if you are interested in getting lab. experience outside of these periods, please email Dr. Yim with your (1) CV, and (2) expression of interest regarding our research or possible research in the lab. Reading the recruitment page for Graduate Students would be helpful when contacting Dr. Yim.

For students who would like to conduct their undergraduate thesis project in the lab, please consult with Dr. Yim. The general process would be to first register for at least one of the following courses during their 3rd year to explore the research done in the lab:

  • 3-1 Research Experience in Psychological and Brain Sciences (Cognitive Sciences) 1 (1-0-1)
  • 3-2 Research Experience in Psychological and Brain Sciences (Cognitive Sciences) 2 (1-0-1)

It is also possible to skip the above step if you have a research project in mind that can be pursued in the lab, and have discussed the possibilities with Dr. Yim. It usually takes an year to pursue an undergraduate thesis project in the lab (e.g., IRB, implementing experiments, data collection, etc.). Therefore, they should take the following two courses (2 semesters, 1 year) as they conduct their thesis project:

  • 4-1 Capstone AI Project 1 (3-1-4)
  • 4-2 Capstone AI Project 2 (3-1-4)

Opportunities are opened to all students attending Hanyang University with relevant background. Please check out the lab webpage for possible research and email Dr. Yim if you have further questions.