Welcome.
I'm Dr. Sophia Choukas-Bradley (Sophie), a tenured associate professor of psychology and chair of the Developmental Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m the founder and director of the Teen and Young Adult (TAYA) Lab, conducting research on social media use, gender and sexuality, body image and mental health.
I have won awards for both my teaching and research, including six early-career researcher awards. A licensed clinical psychologist, I also serve as the Clinical Psychology Lead for the new Center for Digital Thriving at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Since joining my first psychology research lab at 19, I’ve spent two decades studying how relationships and culture shape adolescent identity and mental health. I previously studied and taught at Brown University (A.B. in Psychology), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology), Western Psychiatric Hospital (predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship), and University of Delaware (assistant professor).
I regularly work with the American Psychological Association (APA) on resources for parents and the general public, and I currently represent the APA on the Technical Advisory Board for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Center for Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.
How image editing worsens negative influences on adolescent girls’ body image
As the founder and director of the TAYA Lab at Pitt, I lead a team of psychology researchers studying adolescent development and mental health. We conduct research projects focused on social media use, mental health, identity development, and gender and sexuality, among young people roughly aged 11-29.
I have published over 100 academic papers and chapters and received over $15 million in grant funding as principal or co-investigator.
As a public-facing scholar, I write, speak, and am interviewed regularly as an expert on adolescent social media use, body image, and mental health, appearing in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scientific American, and many other news outlets.
In addition to my work as a researcher, writer, and mentor, I am a passionate and award-winning teacher. Developing and teaching an undergraduate seminar course on Social Media and Body Image has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. And one of my greatest joys is mentoring doctoral students who are training to be research scientists, clinicians, and/or educators, and preparing undergraduate students for graduate work in the field through the TAYA Lab.
As a licensed clinical psychologist, I also provide clinical supervision to doctoral student therapists in Pitt’s Clinical Psychology Center and have led clinical trainings and consultations nationally and internationally.
I live in Pittsburgh with my wife, Anna Mayo, our toddler, Jordan, and our cat, Balsam, a legendary tailless tuxedo who was rescued from the mountains of Western North Carolina in 2011.
I’m passionate about practicing the principles I endorse as a psychologist: fostering genuine relationships and community, abstaining from social media, spending time in nature, connecting with something greater than myself, prioritizing reading as many books as I can, and looking for any opportunity to experience the awe and joy that my daughter so easily finds.
I may worry about what tech is doing to us. But I didn’t hate it when ChatGPT described me as balancing “serious science with serious sparkle,” fueled by “feminist fire and a deep belief in wonder.”
Select Awards
2018
Early Career Researcher Grant in Developmental Psychology
DIVISION 7 OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA)
2020
Rising Star Designation
ASSOCIATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
2023
Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award (Inaugural)
PITT DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
2024
Susan Nolen-Hoeksema Early Career Research Award
SOCIETY FOR A SCIENCE OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
2024
Louise Kidder Early Career Award
SOCIETY FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF SOCIAL ISSUES (APA DIVISION 9)
2024-2029
NSF CAREER Award
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
(includes over $700,000 in grant funding to study adolescent girls' social media use and body image)
2025
Early Career Impact Award
FEDERATION OF ASSOCIATIONS IN BEHAVIORAL & BRAIN SCIENCES
