Bio

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

I received my Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science and my M.A.S. in Applied Statistics from The Ohio State University. My undergraduate degree was in Psychology from Beijing Normal University.

My research interests include child social-emotional development in the family context and fathering behaviors.

My research focuses on fathers’, mothers’, and children’s own contributions in social-emotional development. Informed by a family systems perspective and developmental psychopathology perspective, I am particularly interested in understanding what behaviors and characteristics of fathers and mothers, together with family dynamics, may collectively cultivate adaptive emotional skills and protect against biological vulnerabilities. I also examine the factors that collectively and interactively shape fathers’ and mother’s parenting behaviors and adjustment at the transition to parenthood.

I incorporate advanced quantitative methods into my substantive work to address innovative questions about parenting and child development, and to model the complex reality more precisely. I apply structural equation modeling (SEM) and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) in longitudinal data, dyadic/hierarchical data, and physiological data to understand how family processes and dynamics shape child development over time. I apply methodological expertise not only through conducting research, but also via teaching, mentoring, consulting, and developing research collaborations.

I am considering accepting doctoral students to start in the Fall of 2023.