Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Biography:

Jenn Somers (she/her/hers) is an NIMH-funded postdoctoral research fellow at UCLA,  where she is PI of the Girls Measuring Emotion Socialization at Home (Girls MESH Study). Before starting at UCLA, Jenn earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at Arizona State University. Her research interest is in biobehavioral processes through which close relationships can support or hinder socioemotional functioning and psychological adjustment, especially among children and caregivers who are at risk for developing mental health problems. By evaluating biobehavioral processes that unfold between children and their caregivers across multiple timescales (e.g., second-by-second processes that occur during social interactions, longer-term adaptation that unfolds across development), this research provides a framework for characterizing the effects of early social experiences on children’s development, which bears implications for both children and their caregiver’s wellbeing. Outside of the lab, Jenn enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying new recipes, and going to the beach with her rescue dog Rosie.