Team

Principal Investigator
Juan Del Toro

Juan Del Toro, PhD

Lab Director

Juan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He received his B.A. from Bowdoin College, his Ph.D. from New York University, and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. His research broadly aims to understand the biological and contextual basis for risk and resilience among individuals of color across the life span. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Spencer Foundation, and published in over 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Juan’s research and mentorship has also been recognized through the receipt of several awards, including from the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. In his free time, Juan enjoys traveling, working out, and eating out at different restaurants.

Postdoc
Qi Huang

Qi Huang, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

My research broadly focuses on the experiences of ethnic-racial minoritized adolescents and young adults, immigrant families, and international students, with particular attention to acculturation, discrimination, ethnic-racial socialization, and mental health. I take a strength-based approach to examine how cultural factors influence resilience, sociocultural adjustment, and identity development. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Psychology and my doctoral degree in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), both from Michigan State University. My previous research has involved longitudinal daily diary studies, multilevel modeling, and mixed-methods approaches to understand the experiences of ethnic-racial minority youth and international students. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and practicing yoga.

Graduate Students
Mohammad Hashim

Mohammad Hashim

PhD Student

My research interests involve childhood victimization and psychopathology, with a focus on the role of different agents in traumatization. I completed my undergraduate studies at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, and my master’s degree at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. After graduation, I worked at Lumina Datamatics and in the lab of Prof. Naved Iqbal at Jamia Millia Islamia. My research experience has led to publications in journals such as Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, Current Psychology, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, and Cyberpsychology, Behavior, & Social Networking. In my free time, I enjoy reading the works of Urdu and religious scholars and exploring new places.

 

Morgan Morrison

Morgan Morrison

PhD Student

Morgan is a first-year PhD student in Counseling Psychology. She received her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and her master's degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. Generally, Morgan is interested in exploring how contextual stress affects the well-being of Black youth through a biopsychosocial and cultural lens. In her free time, she enjoys fitness, trying new restaurants, and listening to R&B and soul music.

 

Abigail Otwell

Abigail Otwell

PhD Student

My name is Abi Otwell (she/her), and I'm a first-year PhD student in the Personality, Individual Differences, and Behavior Genetics area of Psychology. I'm broadly interested in how processes like racial socialization and discrimination influence ethnic-racial identity development in adolescence. More specifically, my research focuses on experiences of ambiguous ethnic-racial identity that may be particularly relevant to populations like transracial adoptees and multiracial youth. I earned dual bachelor's degrees in Neuroscience and Molecular Genetics from Michigan State University and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies of Human Development from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. I also worked abroad in Thailand as a teacher with the Council on International Educational Exchange and in the Philippines as a Peace Corps Volunteer. For fun, I enjoy painting, exercising (in many forms), and traveling!
 
Binhao Wu

Binhao Wu

PhD Student

Hi, I am Binhao Wu (he/him). I am a first-year psychology PhD student at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, co-advised by Dr. Juan Del Toro and Dr. Rich Lee. I got my bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where I became interested in and started researching self and identity, culture, and belonging. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, watching TV shows and volleyball games, and writing Substacks.