Volunteers

If you are interested in research on autism and developmental disorders, we would love to hear from you. Volunteering is a great way to gain experience while contributing to research. Volunteers assist with a variety of duties and functions in the lab, such as interacting with participants, running experiments, conducting literature searches, and entering data.

Please be advised, we are unable to accept new research assistants for the Spring 2024 semester. Please check back for Summer 2024 availability. 

Application Components:

  • CV/Resume
  • Most Recent Unofficial Transcript (if a current or former student)
  • Cover letter describing why you are interested in working with the lab, your future goals, and what you hope to gain from this position

Please email your application to addl@sfu.ca . Please ensure that all components of the application are in your email or your application will not be considered. 

If we believe you will be a good fit as a volunteer research assistant with the ADDL and we have the need for additional volunteers, we may invite you for an interview. Most successful volunteers have a CGPA of 3.0 and make a commitment for at least two semesters.

Please note that volunteer spots are limited each semester, and we may be unable to take on new volunteers. If you would like to gain experience with our lab, we suggest volunteering at our annual SFU Social Science Camp. This is a great way to gain experience working with kids with and without a diagnosis of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Many of our volunteers began helping with the Social Science Camp before volunteering regularly with the ADDL. Volunteers for the SFU Social Science Camp are typically interviewed and hired every April and May before the July camp days. If you would like to learn more, please email us. 

Other Volunteer Opportunities

The Autism Mentorship Initiative (AMI) at SFU is a program for autistic students to enhance social experience and connections to the university and to support them towards academic success. Prior to the fall semester each year, the AMI hires and trains mentors to be paired with an autistic student for the Fall and Spring semesters. Mentors meet one-one-one with the student about once per week for 1 to 2 hours at a time. Mentors are expected to attend monthly meetings with supervisors to check-in, ask questions, and provide feedback. Applications to mentor with the AMI are currently closed and will reopen in Summer 2022. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please see here for more information.

Special Olympics BC (SOBC) is an organization that is dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities through sport. SOBC offers the opportunity for people throughout the lifespan to get involved in sport, with more than 5,200 Special Olympics athletes of all ages and a wide range of ability levels participating in year-round programs in 55 communities around BC, supported by more than 4,300 dedicated volunteers. Volunteers do not need to come from a sport background - volunteers can help with events, coach an athlete or group of athletes, assist with fundraising, and more. SOBC is continuously seeking new volunteers and athletes!

SFU Research Labs and Institutions

SFU is home to many research labs and institutions. The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab regularly collaborates with other research labs in the Psychology and Linguistics departments and within the Faculty of Education. Many volunteers and students in the ADDL have previously volunteered or currently volunteer with other research labs at SFU. To learn more about these research labs, visit the following links: