Faculty Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2026
Below are faculty recruiting graduate students for Fall 2026. We will continue to update this page throughout the next few months. Note that Graduate Research Assistant positions are open only to graduate students enrolled in the Health Promotion Sciences PhD and MS programs. The priority admissions deadline is 12/1/25. However, we will continue to review applications into early 2026.
Dr. Sherry Pagoto
e-mail: sherry.pagoto@uconn.edu
Program (MS/PhD): MS
Number of openings: 1
Brief description of research: Dr. Pagoto is recruiting Master’s students who are preparing themselves for doctoral programs in the areas of clinical health psychology, public health, and/or health promotion sciences. Dr. Pagoto’s laboratory is conducting NIH-funded research on digitally delivered lifestyle interventions. Students with interest in or experience with obesity treatment, nutrition research, and/or physical activity research are encouraged to apply. This Master’s program will equip the student to have a highly competitive doctoral application, including rigorous coursework in research design, biostatistics, and health promotion as well as presentations, publications, and hands on lab experience.
Research area key words: Obesity, social media, digital health, diabetes prevention
Dr. Jacob Rohde
e-mail: jacob.rohde@uconn.edu
Program (MS/PhD): MS or PhD
Number of openings: 2
Brief description of research: Dr. Jacob Rohde is recruiting up to 2 Master’s or Ph.D. students with research interests in health communication, public health, health promotion, and behavioral science. Dr. Rohde’s lab studies how communication messages and processes impact public health outcomes. Ongoing lab projects include: 1) designing and evaluating cancer prevention risk messages, and 2) examining how social networks shape health behaviors. Students in the lab will receive training in core health communication research methods. In addition, students will learn key skills (e.g., data analysis, research writing/presenting) to prepare them for competitive careers in research, academia, and public health communication.
Research area key words: Health communication; health behavior; social networks; digital health; social media
Dr. Eric Ryberg
e-mail: eric.ryberg@uconn.edu
Program (MS/PhD): MS
Number of openings: 1
Brief description of research: Our group has several projects at the junction of environmental chemistry and environmental health. We primarily investigate the role of sunlight in pathogen disinfection and pollutant degradation to improve water quality in both engineered systems and the natural environment. We pair fundamental observations with the development of sunlight-enabled water treatment technologies to reduce the global burden of disease in populations exposed to contaminated water. As a member of the Ryberg Lab, you will participate fully in the research process – contributing to grant proposals, designing and performing experiments, analyzing data, and drafting and revising manuscripts for publication.
Research area key words: Environmental chemistry, environmental health, drinking water treatment, solar disinfection (SODIS), drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) development