Current Student Affiliates

Katelyn Pitcher (USA)

Graduate Research Assistant, Rohner Center

Ph.D. student, Developmental Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs.

Her research concentrates on prejudice development and awareness in children, particularly the effects of parent socialization. She is also interested in the adjustment and well-being of gender and sexual minority youth, including the effects of familial and peer rejection and acceptance especially for nontraditional sexual minorities. katelyn.pitcher@uconn.edu

Humaun Kabir (Bangaldesh)

International Student Researcher

He is currently a Research Assistant in the Center for Peace and Justice, BRAC University, Bangladesh. He received his Bachelors and Masters of Social Science from the Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka. While working on his graduation degrees, he served as a research assistant in the Institute, contributing significantly to three policy-making research projects focusing on disability and development funded by the Ministry of Social Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh . He is also interested in the field of parent child-relationship and disability to promote child and disability welfare. Guided by IPARTheory, one of his studies examined how  unemployment, gender, and age drive parent-child relationships. The goals of his work are to promote research disability and child development and to establish smooth family relationships regardless of disadvantaged identity. humaun-2017617259@iswr.du.ac.bd

Maya Shehata

International Student Researcher

She completed her BA in Psychology at the American University in Cairo, and she plans on starting her graduate studies in Counselling Psychology in September of 2024. While working toward her undergraduate degree, she was a research assistant at AUC’s Attachment Lab, and co-authored papers on attachment and interpersonal acceptance-rejection in Egypt. Her research interests focus on the socio-emotional impact of interpersonal relationships across the lifespan, and the intersection between culture and relationally-grounded developmental theories (including IPARTheory and attachment theory). mayashehata@aucegypt.edu

Alumni

Alumni of the Rohner Center go on to work at colleges and universities in research, teaching, and tenure-track positions. They also take on a wide variety of roles in the public and private sectors.

Dr. Sumbleen Ali (USA)

Research Scientist, Rohner Center, HDFS, UConn
Assistant Professor, State University of New York, Oneonta

After graduating from UConn, Dr. Ali completed her postdoctoral research training on the Einstein Ageing Study (EAS). Her work and academic training are centered on investigating the developmental outcomes of interpersonal relationships from a behavioral as well as a neuropsychological perspective. Guided by IPARTheory, her research with children, adolescents, and adults examines how various social contexts (e.g., families and peers) and individual characteristics (e.g., ethnic-racial, gender, and cultural orientations) influences psychological adjustment, emotion regulation, cognitive decline, and brain functioning using fMRI. The overarching goal of her
research is to promote optimal human development and enhance family functioning across cultures.

Dr. Ryan Allred (USA)

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Dr. Allred earned his PhD in Communication Sciences, UConn in 2020. His research focuses on communication inhibitors and pro-social emotions as they relate to creating and maintaining relationships. Specifically, he explores the intersection between interpersonal communication and technology by examining the influence of cell phone usage on face-to-face communication (i.e., phubbing). He is interested in understanding how cell phones may inhibit or change communicative processes and in helping individuals navigate the complexities of an ever-expanding digital era. Additionally, he studies the effects of pro-social emotions (e.g., gratitude, empathy, and forgiveness, etc.) in relation to overcoming such inhibitions. His work considers the expressive writing paradigm as a tool for enhancing positive emotion and fostering healthy relationships. ryan.allred@uconn.edu; allredr@uwosh.edu

Dr. Maggie Bennett (USA)

Assistant Professor in Communication Studies in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University

Dr. Bennett graduated from Communication Sciences at UConn in 2019. She has also worked as a visiting Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton. Maggie’s research focuses on romantic relationships as well as media portrayals and its effects on romantic relationships. Her primary focus is on disclosure and communication in intimate partner settings. margaret.bennett@ttu.edu

Dr. Alex Reid (USA)

Assistant Professor, Department of Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies, California State University, Bakersfield

Dr. Reid specialized in Parenthood. Alex received his Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and a PhD in parenting and parenthood from HDFS, UConn in 2018.  His research interests focus on family dynamics and parental behaviors related to mental health outcomes (e.g., depression and self-esteem) in adolescents and emerging adults. alexander.reid@uconn.edu; areid2@csub.edu

Dr. Kaitlin Flannery (USA)

Associate Professor, Psychology, State University of New York College, Cortland

Dr. Flannery specialized in Developmental Psychology. She received her Master’s and PhD degree in Psychology from the University of Connecticut, Storrs in 2017. Her research interest focus on friendship dissolution among adolescents, social cognition in peer relationships, and gender development. website

Dr. Selenga Gürmen (Turkey)

Assistant professor of Psychology at the Ozyegin University, Turkey

Dr. Gurmen research in the marriage and family therapy field focuses on issues of co-parenting, divorce, and high-conflict therapy. Currently, she aims to understand extended family relationships after divorce, and extended family’s supportive role on co-parenting among divorced families. In light of the findings from her research, Dr. Gürmen also develops various therapy modalities and parent education programs that target decreased conflict and increased cooperation among high-conflict co-parents. She also conducts research studies that explore the impact of technology, smartphones, and social media on romantic relationships. Additionally, Dr. Gürmen has been engaged in several studies that examine tenets of interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory) and she is actively involved in translating and adapting IPARTheory measures.

selenga.gurmen@ozyegin.edu.tr ; selengagurmen@gmail.com

Dr. Ppudah Ki (South Korea)

Assistant Professor, Korea National Open University: Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Dr. Ki research interests are in the study of (1) individual and family risk and resilience, (2) interpersonal acceptance-rejection dynamics, and coping, (3) diversity issues and multicultural counseling, and (4) marriage and family therapy. Dr. Ki graduated from UConn’s MFT program in HDFS. After graduation she completed her Post-Doctoral training at the Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea ppudahki@gmail.com

Dr. Alex Molaver (USA)

Adjunct Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, University of Connecticut, Storrs

Dr. Molaver’s research focuses on interpersonal rejection and mental health consequences in adulthood, including loneliness, fear of intimacy, and rejection sensitivity. alex.molaver@uconn.edu

Dr. Yuan Zhang (USA)

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids

Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on the parent-child relationship, and on the development of interpersonal relationships and social skills within different cultures. Her research interests include the way in which parent-child relationships influence individuals’ social-skill development, and the way in which the improvement in relationship quality and positive parent-child interaction skills are relevant to individuals’ social well-being. Yuan is also interested in the long-term effects of parent-child relationships on individuals’ lifespan and intimate relationships with significant others when they merge into adulthood. yuan.5.zhang@uconn.edu