Student Recruitment

We are recruiting students excited about working at the intersection of mobile/wearable sensing, human-centered computing, data science, and behavioral science, in enabling effective digital interventions for mental and behavioral health outcomes. You may find more information about the lab’s research interests in Varun’s research statement.

Prospective Ph.D. Students

We have several open Ph.D. positions starting in Fall 2025.

Doctoral students can join the lab either as a PhD in Computer Science student, a PhD in Personal Health Informatics student, or a PhD in Population Health student. You may find more information about the lab’s interests in Varun’s research statement.

Most prospective students will have a strong preference for one program over the other. You can do the same research in any of the programs, but the course requirements are quite different. The PhD in Personal Health informatics is an interdisciplinary degree between the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, requiring more health informatics and human-computer interaction coursework. The PhD in Computer Science requires more coursework in computer science and data science. The PhD in Population Health does not require any background in technology and is fully focused on topics and research methods in public health. Regardless of the program, all Ph.D. positions are fully funded with a stipend, full tuition, health insurance, and travel funding opportunities. You may learn more about the various programs here, here and here. The GRE is not required this year.

Interested individuals may contact Varun with the following information: (1) your CV; (2) a copy of your transcripts; and (3) a brief description of your background and research interests. The subject of the email should start with “[PROSPECTIVE-PHD]”. Varun will reach out if your background seems like a potential good fit.

Undergraduate and Masters Students at Northeastern

We are also excited to work with undergraduate students who are interested in my research. We have projects that students in various fields could work on (CS, design, health, psychology, etc.). The key criteria here is not experience level, but creativity, dedication, and a passion for issues related to mHealth and personal health informatics.

Interested individuals may contact Varun with the following information: (1) your CV; (2) a copy of your transcripts; (3) a brief description of your background and research interests. The subject of the email should start with “[PROSPECTIVE-UG/MS]”. We can then find a time to meet to discuss potential projects.