My research investigates how children’s early experiences across contexts influence their development. While specializing in language development and bilingualism, I am also interested in cognitive, social-emotional, and academic development. I particularly seek to understand the variability in and contributions of children’s home, classroom, and neighborhood environments and how enhancing protective factors buffers the negative impacts of early adversity. I integrate quantitative and qualitative methods from psychology, human development, and pediatrics. A primary goal of my research is to inform the development of novel, effective, and scalable prevention or intervention for promoting healthy development in children from under-resourced communities.

I received my PhD in Human Development from the University of Maryland-College Park. I have extensive experience analyzing mother-child and father-child interactions, assessing early developmental skills, evaluating longitudinal randomized controlled trials, and implementing preventive interventions addressing health disparities.

In my spare time, I enjoy being surrounded by nature, watching shows and movies (crime, thrillers, science fiction), jogging, cat sitting, and exploring new places to eat.