As of Fall 2020, the Department of Psychological Sciences started a Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine track. Click here to see more information about the Health Psychology program at Rice. My lab is accepting Ph.D. students this year. We are dedicated to understanding the biobehavioral mechanisms underlying psychological and physical health disparities. As a team, we are interested in how stressful life events such as cancer, marriage, and bereavement affect one’s autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immune systems.
We train students for independent careers as psychological scientists. Similar to Ph.D. programs in public health, we train students to work with patient and non-patient populations; however, we do not offer training in psychotherapy. Ph.D. students in Dr. Fagundes’ laboratory are primarily trained to pursue careers as professors in university and medical school settings. Graduates may also qualify for work as applied behavioral scientists in both industry and government. Although Dr. Fagundes often has post-docs from clinical psychology Ph.D. programs in his laboratory, the graduate program at Rice is not suited for those who want to be a licensed psychotherapist/psychologists.
Importantly, Rice University is a private research university located on a 295-acre (1.19 km2) campus in Houston, Texas, United States. The university is situated near the Houston Museum District and is adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is generally considered the top university and the most selective institute of higher education in the state of Texas. It is ranked 14thnationally by U.S. News and World Report. It was recently ranked number 1 for best quality of life and happiest student by Princeton Review. In the 2018 Best Colleges NICHE rankings, the Rice psychology department was ranked the 6th best in the country, while Rice University as a whole was ranked 5th.
Please click the link here to learn more about the program requirements and how to apply.
Qualified potential graduate students interested in working with Dr. Fagundes should contact him directly at christopher.fagundes@rice.edu to discuss options for mentorship.
Work Hour Expectations, a message from Dr. Fagundes —
Unlike biologically-oriented labs, I am aware that some labs in psychology function virtually most of the time (e.g. post-docs and graduate students working from home and coffee shops). Both empirical data and my anecdotal observations have convinced me that there is substantial value for trainees to be in the lab/office during the work week. Accordingly, similar to requirements for staff members, I require graduate students to be in the lab or their office during the 40 hour work week when they are not in class and/or doing fieldwork. Short-term exceptions are made for medical reasons; however, if you do not want to be present at work during the 40 hour work week, I strongly encourage you to find training and funding elsewhere because you will not be happy in this environment.