READY Students

Prospective Graduate Students

Dr. Hart, the lab director, is a faculty member in the department of psychology at Florida International University, in the area of child and adolescent clinical science.  The Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology Program at FIU operates under a mentorship model, and, therefore, Dr. Hart accepts doctoral students on an annual basis.  

Doctoral students in the lab will immediately become involved in our currently funded research projects, all of which involve working with community organizations serving children and families throughout South Florida. From the beginning, students obtain clinical and research training in order to work directly with the children, families, and community partners we serve. This includes, training and supervision in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Group-Based Behavioral Parent Training, Early Childhood Psychoeducational Assessments, School- and Afterschool-based Coaching and Consultation around best practices for literacy programming and social-emotional/behavioral well-being, and working with community organizational systems. This primarily takes place within the context of our FIU Summer Academy and Reading Explorers Programs. Students are encouraged to pursue opportunities in line with their research/clinical interests, which include opportunities for developing/conducting independent projects that expand our current lines of research, training and supervising junior clinicians, preparing and submitting manuscripts and professional presentations, and partnering with community entities.  

For more information about the Clinical Science in Child and Adolescent Psychology Program at FIU, please visit the program’s website: cscap.fiu.edu.  

We encourage all interested doctoral students to explore our website to learn more about our mission, our programs, and our research. Please reach out to Dr. Hart to see if she will be accepting students for the next application cycle.

Prospective Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate Research Assistants play a critical role in the School R.E.A.D.Y Lab. Students participate in unique experiences that will develop their research and clinical skills. Our research assistants typically begin with tasks such as data entry and essential program preparation. Each semester, students will be presented new opportunities, such as standardized coding of parent-child interaction videos, conducting intake assessments, assisting with research publications, participating in poster presentations, and implementing interventions in our summer programs. Additionally, our lab director, Dr. Hart, hosts monthly research seminars to discuss relevant topics and prepare students for graduate level courses. Research Assistants enroll in a university course (PSY 4940- Research Internship) and complete 10 hours of work per week. Most of our students move on to attend graduate school in related fields of psychology!

For more information email eleyva@fiu.edu.


“This research lab is what paved my professional career. I applied as undergraduate without knowing what a research assistant was. For the two years that I was an RA, I was presented with so many cool opportunities that I would have otherwise experience. I met some of my best friends and gained so much knowledge about the field and research. Now I work full time in the lab supervising our current RA’s and love it! I feel like I am exactly where I need to be because of this lab.”

— Isabel Guaragna, Former Program Assistant

Summer Internship Opportunities

If you are interested in a summer internship, there are several opportunities available for undergraduates and high school juniors and seniors.  Our summer internships involve work with the Summer Treatment Program for Pre-Kindergarteners.  Click here to learn more and apply!


Featured High School Intern Alumni

“Working as an intern at FIU Summer Academy in Liberty City gave me the opportunity to enhance my interpersonal and problem solving skills. I also learned more on child psychology and gained lab experience that will better prepare me to enter a research setting in college. I am incredibly grateful for the time I spent at FIU Summer Academy, and the mentorship I gained from my fellow co-workers.”

— Athena Tsialas, Ransom Everglades High School intern, incoming 2023 Georgetown University undergraduate student