Website: Paulun Lab – UW–Madison
Current research: Research in my lab seeks to explain visual intuitive physics, our fundamental ability to understand the physics of a scene at a glance. Everyday life constantly requires us to anticipate the physical world through vision. Before stepping onto an icy sidewalk, we judge whether it will be slippery. Before picking up a book, we gauge its weight from how much it has sunk into a couch pillow. Before we lift a glass of water, we predict how easily the water might spill over. These rapid inferences about the physical properties of objects and substances, the relationships between them, the forces acting on them, and what is likely to happen next are required for planning any conceivable action. How does the brain transform the patterns of light entering our eyes into such rich physical understanding? What are the cues and computations that let us visually judge the properties of objects and substances in our environment? How rich is our mental model of the physical world? What is the role of heuristics in perceiving physics? How do we understand the causal relations between different objects at a glance, e.g., one object deforming or supporting another? How are different cognitive functions mapped onto the cortical physics network? To answer questions like these, my lab combines behavioral experiments, neuroimaging and computational modelling.
Communication Prior to Applying: It is my lab’s policy to not have video calls/meetings with prospective students prior to the application process. I also don’t privilege or prioritize applications from prospective students who have contacted me prior to applying. This is for reasons of fairness – in particular to ensure that I’m able to read every application that I receive with an open mind and from the same initial starting point. That said, if there are questions about my research or lab that you have that would be helpful to have answered as you prepare your application, I’m certainly happy to answer them. Just send me an email at paulun@wisc.edu . And if you have questions about completing/submitting the UW Madison Psychology Department application itself, the best person to contact is our Graduate Program manager, Kevin Belt kbelt@psych.wisc.edu
Areas I’m Willing to Advise Students in: I am happy to advise students in perception, cognition and cognitive neuroscience (PCCN). I’m also open to co-advising students in other areas of psychology, e.g., developmental.
How I Evaluate Applicants:
Like all faculty members in the Psychology Department, I evaluate prospective graduate students in a holistic manner. I therefore consider all the possible ways in which students’ applications materials can demonstrate excellence and a strong likelihood to thrive in the graduate program and in my lab. As such, the information below should be treated as general rules of thumb rather than a highly proscriptive “checklist” of attributes that candidates must have in order to be considered for admittance to my lab.
- Academic preparation: While I don’t employ any formal cutoff for GPA, I do evaluate the extent to which prospective students have shown excellence in the classroom. More than grades, I look at the types of classes an applicant has taken. I pay particular attention to psychology (e.g., cognitive psychology, perceptual psychology, research methods), statistics, basic programming and computer science, natural and biological sciences and mathematics.
- Research preparation: Successful applicants will likely have some prior research experience, for example, as a research assistant in a psychology lab (or a related field), through an independent research project, such as a senior thesis or a summer research project.
- Motivation/drive: (Self-) Motivation and drive are one of the most important components to succeed in graduate school. I will thus look for evidence of self-motivation and commitment demonstrated for example through ways of seeking out opportunities to engage in research, e.g., through involvement in research projects or internships.
- Personal statement: When reading your statement, I am imagining you as a practicing scientist. Most important therefore, is your ability to think as a scientist. What research questions grab you and why? What motivates you to conduct research in my lab? Are you driven to answer the kinds of questions we pursue in my lab? Are you motivated to work in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment? I strive to foster and promote a safe and supportive lab community in which all members feel a sense of belonging and are able to grow and to contribute fully. I appreciate insights into your potential to contribute to such a community in your personal statement.