Faculty and Staff

Department Head

Joel Hektner, PhD

Professor and Head
(PhD, University of Chicago)

Phone (701) 231-8269
Email Joel.Hektner@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Child, Adolescent Development

Research Interests: Design and effectiveness of programs to prevent adjustment problems and promote well-being in children and adolescents; Peer affiliation patterns and peer influences on children's behaviors; Family and school conditions that facilitate optimal experiences (flow) and optimal development; The Experience Sampling Method

Developmental Science Program

Teaching Faculty

Heather Fuller, PhD

Professor
(PhD, University of Michigan)

Phone (701) 231-5621
EmailHeather.Fuller@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Adult Development and Aging

Research Interests: Social relationships and well-being across the lifespan (e.g. intergenerational relationships); Successful aging and health promotion; Aging in rural and cross-cultural contexts; Aging families and caregiving; Survey research and program evaluation

Research Lab:Linked Lives Lab

Developmental Science Program

Carmen Kho, PhD

Assistant Professor
(PhD, University of California Merced)

Phone (701) 231-1823
Email Carmen.Kho@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Context and Diversity, Adolescence, Emerging Adulthood

Research Interests: I apply a cultural-ecological framework to examine how cultural, family, and other contextual influences intersect with socio-emotional development of children, adolescents, and emerging adults. My research takes a normative development approach and examines developmental processes with careful consideration of contexts in which they take place (e.g., family, neighborhoods, immigrant receiving context) and the timescale in which these processes occur (e.g., moment-to-moment, day-to-day, across years).

Developmental Science Program

Christi McGeorge, PhD

Professor
(PhD, University of Minnesota)

Phone (701) 231-7335
Email Christine.McGeorge@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Couple and Family Therapy and Family Science

Research Interests: The influence of heterosexism, cissexism, and sexual and gender minority prejudice on clinical practice and training, gender equity in therapy, promoting LGBTQ ally behavior in collegiate athletics, gender equity in higher education, and societal perceptions of single parents.

Leanna McWood, PhD

Assistant Professor
(PhD, Auburn University)

Phone (701) 231-1826
Email Leanna.McWood@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Child and Adolescent Develoment

Research Interests: The goal of my research agenda is to examine developmental processes in relational contexts (e.g., peer and family) and identify potential risk or resilience factors that promote positive development (mental and physical health). One key relational context I study is extracurricular involvement, particularly under what conditions organized activities are beneficial or risky.

Developmental Science Program

Melissa Lunsman O'Connor, PhD

Associate Professor
(PhD, University of South Florida)

Phone (701) 231-8688
EmailMelissa.OConnor@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Adult Development and Aging

Research Interests: Examining age-related differences and changes in cognitive and functional abilities, such as driving, among healthy adults and clinical populations; quantitative methods and psychometrics; interventions for improving cognition, health, and everyday functioning; and attitudes toward dementia.

Research Lab: Healthy Aging Lab

Developmental Science Program

Candace VanSickle, PhD

Senior Lecturer
(PhD, North Dakota State University)

Phone (701) 231-8270
Email Candace.Philbrick@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Gerontology

Wen Wang, PhD

Assistant Professor
(PhD Michigan State University)

Phone (701) 231-1875
EmailWen.Wang@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Young children (ages 0 - 6)

Research Interests: My research focuses on understanding young children’s development of social-emotional skills, prosocial behaviors, and the socialization process of these child outcomes in families with diverse cultural and SES backgrounds. I am specifically fascinated by how young children overcome challenges, become resilient, feel empathy for others, and thrive in at-risk families. I adopted the quantitative methods to analyze a variety of data, including surveys, observations, and large secondary datasets.

Developmental Science Program

Dena Wyum, MS

Senior Lecturer
(MS, North Dakota State University)

Human Development and Family Science and Women and Gender Studies

Phone (701) 231-7755
Email Dena.Wyum@ndsu.edu

Extension

Sean Brotherson, PhD

Extension Family Science Specialist, Professor
(PhD, Oregon State University)

Office Phone (701) 231-6143
Email sean.brotherson@ndsu.edu

Core Area: Family Science

Research Interests: Parenting and fatherhood; Health marriages; Family stress; Rural families; Grief and bereavement; Family life education; Family policy

Developmental Science Program