Research Interest Groups (RIGs)

Research Interest Groups (RIGs) within the doctoral program

Our doctoral program is unique in that our faculty, together with our graduate students, work in Research Interest Groups (RIGs) allowing for tailor-made programs based on shared research interests. This collaborative environment encourages easy mentor/student interactions which our students continue to enjoy even after graduation. Students engage in interdisciplinary coursework and participate in research opportunities through collaborative links with nearby world-renowned medical institutions in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and NASA.

The doctoral program has a strong research orientation, and whether or not students plan to pursue a research career, they are expected to spend a large portion of their graduate years actively engaged in research.

Separate from our doctoral program, we also offer two different professional Master’s degrees as described below.

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Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience

The Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience RIG seeks an understanding of the relationship between the human brain and higher forms of behavior, including sensation, perception, attention, memory, language, social cognition, emotion, emotion regulation, and health.

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Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine

The Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine RIG examines the interplay of psychological, social, biological, and behavioral factors that enhance, preserve, or threaten mental and physical well-being.

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Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors

The Human-Computer Interaction and Human Factors RIG investigates interactions among humans and other elements of a system. We are especially concerned with the interaction of humans with computer systems.

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Industrial-Organizational Psychology

The Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology RIG studies human behavior in organizational and work situations. Topics include motivation at work, the aging workforce, discrimination in the workplace, job performance, and team training.

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Psychometrics & Quantitative Psychology

Psychological science critically depends on data that are reliable, accurate, valid, and fair. Serving this purpose, Ph.D. students in the Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology RIG obtain specialized skills related to the substantive development; statistical modeling and analysis; and resulting interpretation of psychological measures, experiments, and interventions.