ADL Doctoral Students
ADL Doctoral Students
Current Ph.D. Students
Eyitayo Akomolafe
Hometown: Ilawe, Nigeria
Research Interests: Impact of migration on adolescent development, teen pregnancy stigma, linguistic influence on adolescent development, relationship management in step parenting, identity development
Affiliation: Teaching Assistant, University of Kentucky
Shabnam Ghorbani Kalkhajeh
Hometown: Tehran, Iran
Research Interests: Adolescent development, identity formation, family dynamics
Affiliation: Teaching Assistant, University of Kentucky
Dinara Kussain
Hometown: Astana, Kazakhstan
Research Interests: Parenting Education, Children Safety, Gender Development, Single Parenting, Vulnerable Families, Government Support for Families, Family Legislation.
Affiliation: Lyman T. Johnson Fellow, University of Kentucky
Tiago Lobo-Dos-Santos
Hometown: Esposende & Porto, Portugal
Research Interests: Developmental & life-course criminology; Romani children and adolescents, minority youth; differential susceptibility to environmental influences; evidence-based prevention; translation of science; intersections between health, education, and crime/justice.
Affiliation: Fulbright Fellow, La Caixa Foundation, University of Kentucky
Leila Moosavi
Hometown: Isfahan, Iran
Research Interests: Child/adolescent development, parent-child relationships, self-control, personality (including the Dark Triad and Big Five traits)
Affiliation: Lyman T. Johnson Fellow, Teaching Assistant, University of Kentucky
Taylah P. Shannon
Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
Research interests: In and out of school adolescent support, Vulnerable youth experiences, Adolescents in sport, Creative outlets for youth, Youth dedicated spaces, Non-profit organizations
Affiliation: Lyman T. Johnson Fellow, University of Kentucky
Sara Yamini
Hometown: Tehran, Iran
Research Interests: Adolescent development, self-control, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, cross-national/cross-cultural comparative studies, theory and research methods
Affiliation: Teaching Assistant, University of Kentucky
Former Ph.D. Students
Julia J. Morgan, Ph.D. (2025)
Hometown: St. Joseph, Missouri
Research Interests: Relationship quality and adjustment, family processes, parenting, emotional regulation & coping
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Science, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO
Dan Liu, Ph.D. (2022)
Hometown: Chongqing, China
Research Interests: Child and adolescent development, how parenting and sleep are associated with adolescent self-control, mental health, and deviant behaviors
Affiliation: Postdoc, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Magda Javakhishvili, Ph.D. (2019)
Hometown: Gori, The Republic of Georgia
Research Interests: Socio-cultural conceptualizations of psychological "disorders" and deviance among adolescents; social underpinnings of experiencing risk and engaging in risk taking and health-compromising behaviors; how family processes define life trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems
Affiliation: Assistant Research Scientist, Family Translational Research Group, NYU, New York, NY
Jakub Mikuška, Ph.D. (2019)
Hometown: Bratislava, Slovakia
Research Interests: Adolescent development, personality, video games, social media, cyberspace, research methods
Affiliation: Postdoc, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Gabriela Ksinan Jiskrova, Ph.D. (2018)
Hometown: Brno, Czech Republic
Research Interests: Identity development, minority group adolescents
Affiliation: Postdoc, Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Albert J. Ksinan, Ph.D. (2018)
Hometown: Ostravice, Czech Republic
Research Interests: Structural equation modeling, personality, hierarchical linear modeling
Affiliation: Postdoc, Faculty of Science, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Charlene Harris, Ph.D. (2015)
Hometown: Siparia, Trinidad and Tobago
Research Interests: Perceptions of mental health, youth violence and victimization, family/parent-child relationships, cultural and race relations on adolescent deviance and crime perpetration, adolescent sensation seeking and health risk behaviors
Affiliation: Professor, Department of Human Ecology, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD
Melissa J. Scarpate, Ph.D. (2015)
Hometown: Midland City, Alabama
Research Interests: Child and family well-being, strengthening families, quality pre-K programs, family processes, single-parent families, kinship support, child/adolescent developmental outcomes
Affiliation: Director, Research and Program Evaluation, Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education
Emily Kahumoku-Fessler, Ph.D. (2011)
Hometown: Enterprise, Alabama
Research Interests: Sexuality, Body Image/Objectified Body Consciousness, Clinical Interventions for issues regarding sexuality, Adolescent Development
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Associate Director of Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Chaminade University, Honolulu, HI
Dusty Jenkins, Ph.D. (2010)
Hometown: Baytown, Texas
Research Interests: Adolescent development, Adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors, Dating relationships
Affiliation: Professor, Department of Psychology, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
Pan Chen, Ph.D. (2009)
Hometown: Changsha, China
Research Interests: Adolescent development, deviant behaviors, the influence of the single-child policy on adolescent adjustment, cross-cultural perspectives, Chinese immigrants
Affiliation: Director, Educational Outcomes, PeerVoice - Global Independent Medical Education
Li Huang, Ph.D. (2007)
Hometown: Yue Yang, China
Research Interests: Deviance, self-control, family processes, General Theory of Crime, cross-cultural/cross-national, adolescent problem behaviors
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL
Elizabeth M. Trejos, Ph.D. (2006)
Hometown: San José, Costa Rica
Research Interests: Family processes, immigrants, crime, adolescent adjustment problems, internalizing behaviors, cross-national/cross-cultural studies
Affiliation: Vice Provost International Affairs, C.R. Hutcheson Professor in Human Development & Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Lloyd E. Pickering, Ph.D. (2005)
Hometown: Robbinsdale, Minnesota
Research Interests: Adolescence, family processes, deviant behavior, religiosity, parent-teen relationships
Affiliation: Consultant
Lara M. Belliston, Ph.D. (2004)
Hometown: Westminster, California
Research Interests: Adolescent Development, Program Evaluation, Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors, Family Processes, Theory and Research Methods
Affiliation: Lead of the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup, Office of Prevention and Wellness, Ohio's Strategic Prevention Framework Partnership for Success, Columbus, OH
J. Blake Snider, Ph.D. (2002)
Hometown: Anniston, Alabama
Research Interests: Parenting, adolescence, religiosity, mentoring, transition to adulthood, attachment theory
Affiliation: Assistant Chair, Associate Professor, Department of Management, Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, Clemson University, Clemson, SC