Join CAML
Work with us
The lab welcomes curious people at every career stage. Find your path below, each section explains what to expect and how to get in touch.
Prospective PhD Students
Doctoral recruitment for the next cycle has not yet been announced.
Research fit
Strong applicants are genuinely curious about how culture shapes moral life. That curiosity can come from many angles: cross-cultural or historical questions, moral psychology and intergroup relations, or computational approaches to language and behavior.
Doctoral admissions run through the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. When writing to Dr. Atari (matari@umass.edu), briefly describe your research interests, relevant experience, and why this lab specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Do I contact Dr. Atari before applying?
You are welcome to email Dr. Atari before applying, especially to describe your research interests and how they connect to the lab's work. A short, specific note is more useful than a long generic one.
What backgrounds fit the lab?
Lab members come from psychology, cognitive science, and related fields, and several bring international or interdisciplinary training. Comfort with quantitative methods helps; experience with computational methods (e.g., programming or NLP) is a plus for some projects, not a requirement for all.
What kind of research would I do?
Doctoral students develop their own questions within the lab's three programs, cultural variation across time and place, pluralistic morality, and computational social science, using methods from experiments and fieldwork to natural language processing.
Where do I actually apply?
Applications go through the UMass Amherst Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences graduate admissions process, not through the lab directly. See the department's website for deadlines and requirements.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
UMass undergraduates interested in research experience are welcome to reach out.
What RAs do
Typical tasks include helping run studies, coding and annotating data, literature searches, and contributing to ongoing projects across the lab’s research programs.
Time commitment
Expectations are agreed with Dr. Atari up front and vary by project and semester. Course credit or volunteer arrangements may be possible depending on circumstances.
Who thrives here
Reliability and curiosity matter most. Interest in culture, morality, language, or data, and any experience with statistics or programming, is welcome but not required.
How to apply
Email Dr. Atari at matari@umass.edu with a short note about your interests, year, and availability.
Postdoctoral Researchers
We are hiring a postdoctoral researcher in historical psychology to study psychological change in the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on Islamic history (themes: religiosity, creativity, morality, and institutions). Start date Fall 2026 (flexible), in person at UMass Amherst; rolling deadline until filled.
We welcome candidates with a PhD (or ABD status) in social psychology, cognitive science, digital humanities, quantitative history, computational sciences, or related fields. Strong skills in NLP/text analysis, R, and Python are important; hands-on experience with open-source LLMs is valued, and knowledge of Arabic and/or Persian is a plus.
To apply, email Dr. Atari at matari@umass.edu your CV and one representative or related paper. Please feel free to share this call with anyone who might be a good fit.
Collaborators & Visiting Researchers
Much of our work is collaborative and cross-disciplinary, spanning psychology, anthropology, and computer science. If your research connects with culture, morality, or computational social science, we would be glad to hear from you at matari@umass.edu.
Not sure which path fits?
Send a short email describing your background and what you'd like to work on, that's the best starting point for any conversation with the lab.