Sophia Choukas-Bradley, Ph.D. 

Lab Director

I am an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware. I hold an A.B. (B.A.) degree in Psychology from Brown University (2008) and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2016). Before beginning my first faculty position in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychology in 2017, I completed a pre-doctoral clinical internship and a post-doctoral fellowship in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry (Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic). I joined the University of Delaware’s Clinical Science Program in June 2020.

My research focuses on understanding interpersonal and sociocultural influences on adolescent mental health, with an emphasis on gender and sexuality. A clinical psychologist by training, I integrate developmental and social psychology theories and methods into my work. Much of my research focuses on adolescents' social media use, including its influence on peer relationships, mental health, and wellbeing. I’m especially passionate about understanding the role of social media in adolescent girls' self-objectification and body image. Additionally, I have a growing line of work focused on body image and mental health among LGBTQ+ youth. Across my areas of work, I use a range of study designs and methods, including laboratory-based studies that integrate eye-tracking technology; qualitative interviews, which allow us to hear adolescents' own words and inform the development of larger-scale studies; longitudinal school-based studies, through which we can examine a broad range of behaviors over time; and anonymous online surveys, which allow us to reach understudied populations (e.g., transgender adolescents who are not out to their parents). I also collaborate with neuroscientists to understand adolescents' brain responses to social media experiences. While most of my research has focused on basic science, I’m currently collaborating on several intervention development projects.

As the director of the Teen and Young Adult Lab (TAYA Lab), I strive to foster an inclusive, warm, and collaborative research lab. I’m passionate about mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-baccalaureate trainees who are interested in gaining research experience between college and grad school. If you’re interested in learning about opportunities to join the TAYA Lab research team, please visit our Join the Lab page. You can also learn more about our current and recent work on the Research Projects and Publications pages.

Savannah Roberts, B.S.

Graduate Student

Savannah joined the TAYA Lab in the fall of 2019 as a joint Ph.D. student of Clinical and Developmental Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Savannah will be continuing her graduate studies at the University of Delaware beginning in the fall of 2020. In the TAYA Lab, she is currently researching body image, disordered eating, and feminist identity in gender minority youth. She is interested in understanding the development of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in sexual and gender minority youth, as well as assessing the effect of social media on adolescents’ body image broadly. Previously, she coordinated NIH clinical trials for obesity in the Center for Weight, Eating, and Lifestyle Science at Drexel University. Savannah graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from Western Washington University in 2016, where she researched the effect of gender on the perception of anorexia nervosa. 

Brianna Ladd, B.A.

Lab Manager

Brianna joined the TAYA Lab in the summer of 2019. She graduated first-generation from UNC Chapel Hill in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology. At UNC, she was involved in research that focused on the role of the classroom context on children’s executive function and academic achievement. She was also involved in research with the Peer Relations Lab that investigated suicidal behavior and the role of peer influence on adolescent risk behavior. Brianna is interested in how sociocultural contexts, interpersonal relationships, and sexual experiences influence body image and sexual and gender identity development. She is also interested in using a feminist framework to examine mental health among populations at the intersection of racial, sexual, and gender minority identities, as well as the social justice implications of research in this area. Brianna hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology in the future.