The Ph.D. program in Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) is currently accepting applications for Fall 2021 admissions! Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to conduct rigorous research that promotes the development and well being of infants, children, and adolescents, with a particular focus on underserved populations as well as cross-cultural contexts. Students will be part of a cutting-edge program that will train researchers at the intersection of developmental psychology and applied science using advanced research methodology and analysis while students develop expertise in early intervention, social emotional development, learning and development, and contexts of development (e.g., poverty, justice, culture). Applications for admission are due December 1st.
Faculty accepting students for the Fall 2021 academic year:
Dr. Karrie Godwin's Child Development Lab (https://www.childdevelopmentlabgodwin.com) is recruiting a doctoral student for Fall 2021. Dr. Godwin's research focuses on the development of attention regulation and executive function and how these factors influence children's learning outcomes. Ongoing projects in the lab include the investigation of attention regulation in learning contexts and how learning environments, instructional design, and educational materials can be optimized to promote attention and learning. The Ph.D. student will be working with Dr. Godwin on federally-funded projects examining the ways in which we can help replenish children’s attention in formal learning contexts as well as investigating attention allocation in beginning readers. Students will also collaborate on other projects based on shared interests. For more information, please contact Karrie Godwin (kgodwin@umbc.edu).
Dr. David Schultz’ Social Development Lab (https://socialdevelopmentlab.umbc.edu) is recruiting a doctoral student for Fall 2021. Dr. Schultz is assistant director of the UMBC Home Visiting Training Center (https://homevisitingtraining.umbc.edu) which develops and conducts trainings for infant home visitors in the state of Maryland. His research focuses on evaluation of these trainings and processes related to infant home visits (e.g., home visitor coaching of parent-child interactions). His doctoral students receive extensive experience in training development and program evaluation. For more information, please contact Dr. Schultz (dschultz@umbc.edu).
Dr. Susan Sonnenschein’s Children and Families, Schooling and Development Lab (https://sonnenscheinlab.umbc.edu) is recruiting a doctoral student for Fall 2021. Dr. Sonnenschein’s research focuses on the facilitation of educational development of children from different demographic backgrounds. Of particular interest is what can we do at home or school to narrow, if not close, academic achievement gaps. In addition to research studies, students will probably be involved in the evaluation of educational programs. For more information, please contact Susan Sonnenschein (sonnensc@umbc.edu).
Dr. Mirela Cengher’s lab is recruiting a doctoral student for Fall 2021. Dr. Cengher’s research is focused on variables that influence the acquisition of language and concept formation. Dr. Cengher’s students have the opportunity to conduct research with different populations (i.e., undergraduate students, typically developing children, and children with developmental disabilities) and across different settings (i.e, campus, schools, and clinics). Current research projects include developing an effective methodology for teaching foreign languages, developing procedures to teach children asking questions, and developing procedures to teach children to form categories and derive information across members within categories. For more information, please contact Mirela Cengher (cengher@umbc.edu).
Dr. Charissa S. L. Cheah’s Culture, Child, and Adolescent Development Lab (https://ccadlab.umbc.edu/) is recruiting a doctoral student for Fall 2021. Dr. Cheah’s research team utilizes mixed-method approaches to explore how individual characteristics, relationships, socialization agents, and contexts interact to influence child and adolescent social-emotional development and physical health. She is particularly interested in understanding these processes among families in ethnic/racial/religious minority, immigrant, and other marginalized groups, with the end goal of contributing to a more just and equitable science and society. For more information, please contact Charissa Cheah (ccheah@umbc.edu).
UMBC is ideally located between Baltimore and Washington DC, offering plenty to see and do. Enjoy an exciting restaurant scene, world-class museums, a vibrant theater district, sporting venues, and Lexington Market (America’s oldest market). Baltimore also boasts numerous live music venues that feature local and national talent as well as annual festivals. Visit the award wining National Aquarium or take in the scenic waterfront of Baltimore’s vibrant Inner Harbor. There are also plenty of outdoor recreation activities nearby including opportunities to hike and bike on over 200 miles of trails in Patapsco Valley State Park. Come check out all that Baltimore has to offer!