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 2027.

Doctoral students can join the lab either as a PhD in Computer Science student or a PhD in Personal Health Informatics student.

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. 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 programs here and here.

Interested individuals may contact us 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.

Update (11/5): Due to the high volume of emails we have received from prospective students, we are unfortunately unable to respond to individual inquiries. If you are interested in joining our lab and believe your research interests align with our recent work, we encourage you to apply directly to the CS or PHI PhD program at Northeastern University by December 15.

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 us 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.