Determining health impacts of digital technology through neuroimaging/neuroscience
Applications for Spring 2026 are closed for this project.
The project aims to:
Determine health impacts impacts of digital technology (social media, video games, AI) among adolescents
The goal of the project is to determine prospective associations between contemporary screen time (e.g., social media) exposures and cognitive/neuroimaging outcomes in adolescents. The outcomes of this work can inform guidelines and interventions to maximize benefits of adolescent screen time while mitigating potential risks. The URAP student will work with data analysts and interpret results from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest longitudinal study of brain development and child health in the United States. The study follows 11,875 demographically diverse children (ages 9-10 in 2016-18) recruited from 21 U.S. research sites for 10 years. These data support interdisciplinary research bridging the social, biological, and computational sciences. Our lab has an active data use agreement with the ABCD Study and access to all data through the National Institutes of Health.
Role: (1) Literature searches regarding contemporary screen time and neuroimaging topics
(2) Write-up of the introduction and discussion of manuscript(s)
(3) Become familiar with the publication and revision process
Qualifications: Ideal candidates should have experience with conducting literature searches, interpreting neuroimaging (e.g., MRI) outcomes, and writing neuroscience/neuroimaging papers.
Be declared a major related to neuroscience/neuroimaging [e.g., Neuroscience, Psychology, Data Science].
Prior experience in neuroimaging/neuroscience research is strictly required.
Required Application Materials:
1) Highlight neuroimaging/neuroscience coursework (e.g., PSYCH 117) and past research experience
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Kristen Kim, MPH
Hours: to be negotiated
Off-Campus Research Site: Most of the work can be done remotely, but there would be the opportunity to come to UCSF for meetings and/or shadowing.
Related website: https:/nagatalab.ucsf.edu/
Related website: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/jason.nagata