Dr. Yue Ni is a developmental scientist and an Assistant Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology at Portland State University. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Oregon State University. She also holds a MA in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College and a BA in English from East China University of Science and Technology. During and after her Master's studies in Boston, Dr. Ni worked with first- and second- generation Asian immigrant youth in after-school programs that took a Positive Youth Development approach.

Broadly, Dr. Ni’s research focuses on Positive Youth Development (PYD). Her current work investigates how youth from diverse backgrounds contribute to civil society (i.e., civic engagement), as an instance of PYD, both in offline (e.g., schools, community-based organizations) and online contexts (e.g., social media), the precursors and predictors of civic engagement, and how civic engagement is linked to youth well-being. 

To answer these substantive questions, Dr. Ni uses a combination of advanced quantitative and qualitative methods. In particular, she is versed in longitudinal data modeling using variable-centered, group-oriented, and person-specific methods, such as mixture modeling, latent growth curve modeling, and daily diary approaches.   

Xuan has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Portland State University. She is currently a second-year Ph.D. student in the Psychology department at Portland State University, specifically in the Applied Developmental area. Xuan's research interests focus on the academic challenges and cultural barriers that immigrant students face and how educators can help them improve their academic outcomes. She is interested in high school students in particular because academic performance at this age plays an important role in students’ future education, occupation plans, and transition to adult life.  During her undergraduate years, Xuan was also a trainee of BUILD EXITO, an NIH-funded program that helped undergraduate students get research experiences.

Kiah is currently a first-year PhD student in Portland State University's Applied Developmental Psychology program, entering the program with a Master of Science degree in Psychological Studies from the University of Aberdeen as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from California Lutheran University. As a McNair Scholars fellow, Kiah's previous work examined burnout among high school students in the Advanced Placement program. Future research interests center around how educators can foster positive youth development in areas such as motivation and academic achievement.

Willow is currently a third year student in Portland State University's Department of Psychology. Her research interests center around the children of immigrants and how best to assist them in adjusting to American culture and schooling. In addition, she hopes to use her research in order to help members of BIPOC communities to overcome barriers that have been in place for centuries. In her personal life, Willow has a black belt in a mixed martial art and is an internationally accredited pianist. 

Keiyu is a Senior who is majoring in social science, along with minoring in Psychology, Sociology, and Child Youth and Family Studies. His research interests include the experience of Asian American youth, along with the impact of second language learning, especially heritage language learning and their impact on identity development. He likes to cook, and loves eating ice cream.

Nico is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology with a double minor in child, youth, and family studies, as well as criminology. He is interested in researching factors surrounding youth development, including interpersonal relationships, family dynamics, and education. He is also curious about underlying influences, such as adverse childhood experiences. Nico hopes to one day apply this knowledge as an adolescent clinical psychologist. In his personal life, Nico loves photography and cats.