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My work takes a behavioral ecology perspective on understanding the reciprocal relationships between environments, brains, and behaviors in humans.  Specifically, my lab, the Life History Lab, looks at how social and physical affordances in development and in the present impact neural sensitivity to rewards and punishment, vigilance, cognitive load, and stress as well positive stimuli like social support and contemplative practices. These sensitivities can encourage certain behaviors and be influenced by them, creating emergent ecologies

Felix Thoemmes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development in the College of Human Ecology. He has a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology, and is a member of the graduate field of Statistics. Before he came to Cornell, he was a Professor at the University of Tuebingen, Germany, in the Center for Educational Science and Psychology, and an Assistant Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M

Jenna L. Wells is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Cornell University. Dr. Wells studies how emotion in close relationships contributes to mental and physical health over the lifespan, with a focus on later life. Her training is in clinical psychology, and she utilizes methods derived from basic affective science (e.g., behavioral coding, text analysis). She is particularly interested in individuals providing care for a loved one with neurodegenerative disease, such as

Kristen is the Director for the Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement in the BCTR, associate director of the BCTR, and the Community-Engaged Learning Coordinator for Cornell Human Ecology. Her work focuses on applied research and teaching that connects researchers, undergraduate students, and community partners, with a particular focus on partnerships that support educators in helping youth from all backgrounds succeed and thrive.

Charles Izzo is a Senior Research Associate at the BCTR and a member of the research team on the Residential Child Care Project. His background is in Clinical and Community Psychology with a specialty in the design and evaluation of community-based services for children and families. His work has focused on applying social science research methods to measure and improve the quality of youth care services and on translating social and neuroscience research to better