Will you be accepting new graduate students this cycle?

Dr. Krems is NOT accepting students for the upcoming Fall 2026 Cycle.

Where can I find information about the UCLA application?

Right here. Applications are due yearly on December 1.

Can I email you about applying to your lab? Can we meet?

Email me! In your brief email, please make me aware of your particular interest in the UCLA Social Minds Lab.

However, please note that I typically receive more emails than I can reply to, so whether or not you email me prior to applying will not influence the outcome of your application.

Prior to reading your completed application, I cannot from meet with applicants both (a) due to the volume of requests and (b) in an effort not to favor students who received advice about connecting with prospective advisors or who have personal connections to my lab through current colleagues. However, I do meet with all short-listed applicants during the course of the regular interview process. I look forward to talking then!

Are you open to co-advising graduate students?

Yes. Prospective graduate students are very welcome to list Dr. Krems as a sole, main, or co-advisor with other UCLA faculty.

Will my application be penalized if...?

In short, no. No one part of your application is make-or-break. I do not expect students to have published or presented research before they apply to work with me. I do not expect students will have specific coursework (e.g., in evolutionary social science). Students don't need perfect GPAs or test scores.

If you want to do the work that we do in the lab, apply!

What should I include in my personal statement?

Your personal statement should (1) tell me what kind of research you want to do in graduate school (even though this might change), (2) describe your preparation for doing that research, (3) discuss what kind of career path you plan to pursue after your PhD (even though this might change), and (4) state why you want to pursue work in the UCLA Social Minds Lab.

Your personal statement is also personal for a reason: It can additionally include other aspects of your identity and experiences that are important to you and/or that you think are important for me to know about you.

Am I a good fit for the UCLA Social Minds Lab?

My lab is presently focused on the basic science of human friendship.

If you want to address fundamental questions about human friendship, you're likely to be a good fit.

If you want to understand human friendship---and are open to using perspectives from social psychology, evolutionary social science, computational psychology, relationship science, animal behavior---you're likely to be a good fit.

What if I have another question?

Feel free to reach out to me directly.

Outside of the formal application process, I'm very happy to have conversations about the work that we do in my lab (e.g., on friendship) or to provide advice pursuing scholarship in evolutionary social science (a small world where it can be hard to find high-quality training). Please do feel free to get in touch with those types of questions!

What to undergraduate researchers do?

Undergraduates in our lab often (a) work on a variety of research projects, helping to complete literature reviews, run human subjects, create stimuli, pilot studies, and more. In addition, most students (b) receive training in the multidisciplinary foundations of the evolutionary social sciences (e.g., psychology, anthropology, primate behavioral ecology)---via readings and discussions. All students also (c) learn about getting into graduate school and other practical matters involved in conducting sound scientific research.

Undergraduates who show special promise and dedication can often work directly with senior lab members to propose, conduct, and present/publish novel research.

For those students who are primarily interested in science communication, we're excited to work with you to put your particular talents (e.g., filmmaking, journalism) to use in ways that benefit your career and public scientific literacy. Please reach out to discuss that with us.

Apply here.

A gradute student member of the lab will be in touch with you if your application moves onto the interview stage. Please do not contact Dr. Krems.

Will you supervise my independent research or Honors Project?

We're happy to supervise students as time allows! Feel free to reach out to Dr. Krems directly. Note, however, that students hoping to take advantage of this ooportunity are well-served by working the lab for at least one quarter prior to applying.

Why should I join a psychology lab, anyway?

Getting involved in research is one of the best ways to determine if a career in psychology or related industry is right for you.

Research experience is often a prerequisite for getting into graduate programs in psychology or related fields (e.g., law, public policy, political science, anthropology). Hands-on research experiences also help you develop a range of skills, including teamwork, time management, and communication.

If you're interested in joining the UCLA Social Minds Lab as a postdoctoral scholar, a visiting scholar, or in another capacity, please reach out.

We're also very enthusiastic about working with students who want to write grants involving research and mentorship in the UCLA Social Minds Lab (e.g., late-year grad students gearing up to write NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships). Get in touch!