Developmental Science Program Faculty
Sean Brotherson, (Ph.D., Oregon State University)
Professor and Extension Family Science Specialist
Office Phone: 701-231-6143
Email: Sean.Brotherson@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Family Science
Research Interests: Parenting and fatherhood; Healthy marriages; Family stress; Rural families; Grief and bereavement; Family life education; Family policy
Heather Fuller (Ph.D., University of Michigan)
Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-5621
Email: Heather.Fuller@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Adult Development and Aging
Research Interests: Social relationships 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
Joel Hektner, (Ph.D., University of Chicago)
Professor and Head
Office 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
Carmen Kho, (Ph.D., University of California Merced)
Assistant Professor
Office 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).
Leanna McWood, (Ph.D., Auburn University)
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: (701) 231-1826
Email: leanna.mcwood@ndsu.edu
Research Interests: Extracurricular Involvement; Social Relationships; Contextual Influences; Sleep; Adolescent Development
Melissa Lunsman O'Connor, (Ph.D. University of South Florida)
Assistant Professor
Office: EML Hall 283
Office Phone: 701-231-8688
Email: melissa.oconnor@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Adult Development and Aging
Research Interests: My research focuses on characterizing changes in cognitive and functional abilities across the adult lifespan, and my ultimate goal is to promote healthy aging. Specifically, my research interests include: 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
Wen Wang (Ph.D., Michigan State University)
Assistant Professor
Office Phone: 701-231-1875
Email: wen.wang@ndsu.edu
Core Area: Child Development
Research Interests: The development of young children’s mastery motivation and persistence; Cultural variances in parenting and early parent-infant communication; Prosocial behaviors and emotions towards racial ingroup and outgroup members.