Texas Tech University

Human Development and Family Sciences

BioSocial Interplay in Development Lab

Our lab is located in the Iva Lea Barton Research Suite in the Human Sciences Building.

Lab Director

Dr. Zhe WangZhe Wang, Ph.D.

Zhe Wang received her Ph.D. Degree in Psychology in 2013 and her M.S. degree in Statistics in 2016 from Virginia Tech. She completed her 2-year postdoctoral training in developmental psychology at The Ohio State University. She joined the faculty of HDFS at TTU as an assistant professor in 2017. Her research examines the development of socio-emotional outcomes and educational attainments in children and young adolescents, in particular with respect to how social and biological factors join forces in shaping the diverse developmental trajectories among children.

Dr. Wang's Faculty Page

Graduate Research Assistants:

Leslie Hasty TTULeslie Hasty

I received my bachelor's degree in psychology from Penn State University in 2017. I am currently working towards obtaining my master's degree in Human Development and Family Studies. My research interest includes early childhood development and the impact siblings can have on a child's socio-emotional development. I am president of the HDFS Graduate Student Association and I am part of the Brown Bag Series Committee. After obtaining my Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies, I will continue working in the research field, which I am passionate about.

Toanyu Li TTUTianyu Li

I received his B.A in psychology with a minor in statistics from University of California, Irvine. I then went to California State University, Northridge for my M.A in general experimental psychology. My research interests focus on the influence of children's biological and emotional development on their cognitive functioning as well as applied settings such as school competence. I practice yoga which keeps me a disciplined lifestyle with a healthy mental state.

Seowon Song TTUSeowon Song

I am a post-bachelor student of Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University. I graduated from Texas Tech in 2018 with a major in Psychology and minor in Business. I am interested in research on socio-emotional development of children. Many environmental factors as well as genetic factors are influential in child's development. Therefore, I would like to study how to alleviate children's socio-emotional problems through education. After I graduate with my PhD degree, I hope that I can contribute to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations.

Undergraduate Research Assistants:

Jenna Hefele TTUJenna Hefele

I am currently a senior at Texas Tech University pursuing a Biology degree. After I graduate with my bachelor's degree, I hope to attend medical school to earn a medical degree. I am very interested in psychological sciences and neurobiology. I hope to one day combine these two passions of mine in order to help the many people who suffer from various degrees of mental stress and illness. I am very excited to have the opportunity to learn more about some of the psychological and physiological mechanisms behind human learning and behavior.

BioSocial Interplay in Development Lab