Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
for Prospective Graduate Students
Are you taking students this year?
Yes, I will be considering PhD applicants for the 2026-27 cycle.
What are you looking for in a graduate student?
The ideal graduate student at the MACLab has a keen interest in cognitive science, experience working with children in a professional or research setting, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in psychology or biological anthropology or something along those lines, and is genuinely curious about human cognition.
In terms of skillset, I highly value experience with experimental design and quantitative data analysis (R experience a plus), computational modeling skills, additional language skills, and past experience traveling or working internationally. Graduate training in the MACLab will often have some international travel and data collection component outside of the US.
Most importantly, though, I value good ideas. The MACLab umbrella is broad and flexible. I'm not married to a specific content area; I want to hear your coolest ideas about how culture and cognition interact and ways that we could actually test those ideas.
What does your lab work on?
Oh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Most generally, our lab looks at the relationship between culture and cognition at multiple levels of analysis, exploring how culture 'gets into' the mind. We are also interested in how our minds produce culture and how culture evolves over time, with a focus on children's unique cognitive signatures.
A typical lab project is a quantitative experiment of some sort with children and adults across or within cultures. Our studies usually use behavioral games and surveys. Some current topics of interest in the lab involve the emergence of cooperation, coordination, and morality. On the horizon is work focused on cultural evolution, especially relating to children's cognition, how knowledge is refined and transmitted, and how culture evolves in tandem with our cognitive constraints.
But folks, I cannot stress this enough: our lab is a basic science lab focused on cognitive and behavioral methods. We are a quantitative lab and we do not employ methods from neuroscience or clinical psychology.
What should I read to learn more about your current research interests?
Whoa, great question! Here's my suggested reading list:
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How do you actually do cross-cultural, developmental work? And why should I do this work? (Amir & McAuliffe 2024, EHB)
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How does culture shape the emergence of cooperation? (Amir et al., 2026, Science Advances)
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How does culture actually shape cognition? (Amir & Pitt, 2026, TiCS)
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Does culture penetrate visual perception? (Amir & Firestone, 2025, Psych Review)
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What role do children play in cultural evolution? (Lew-Levy & Amir, 2024, BBS)
How do I apply?
You would apply to the Duke graduate program in Psychology & Neuroscience. Click here to view application instructions. You'll need to submit an application to the Duke Graduate School, and mark "Dorsa Amir" as your preferred supervisor.
Do you have any advice for the application?
I do! My main advice is to treat the Statement of Purpose as a persuasive essay. I usually link people to this great thread from Roman Feiman that explains the process. To summarize here, the statement should have three acts:
Act I: Research interests — what do you want to study and why?
Act II: Supporting evidence — what background/experience do you have that supports your ability to pursue these interests?
Act III: Fit to the faculty & department — why me? why the MACLab? Why Duke Psychology & Neuroscience?
I want to learn more about your lab & research. Can we meet?
To make sure everyone has a fair chance, I do not take meetings with prospective students. I look forward to reading your materials, if you do decide to apply.