Jes L. Matsick, Ph.D. (she/her)
Principal Investigator
Dr. Jes Matsick is a feminist psychologist. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan and, as faculty at Penn State, she holds a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology (area: social psychology) and the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS).
At the broadest level, Dr. Matsick is interested in social and health disparities, and she seeks to bridge psychological science and feminist perspectives to address social issues. Dr. Matsick examines how marginalized groups experience stigma and how stigma contributes to psychosocial well-being (e.g., belonging, safety and threat, pride, stress). Much of her focus is on sexual and gender diversity as she considers how sociopolitical and historical contexts shape marginalized groups’ experiences and perspectives. In her research, she thinks critically about intersectionality theory and justice-centered outcomes. She favors mixed-method approaches to research, and her work creatively couples quantitative practices (e.g., experiments, longitudinal surveys, scale development) with qualitative approaches (e.g., online qualitative prompts, content analysis, thematic analysis). Across her research and teaching activities, she aims to (a) highlight the standpoints of people whose perspectives have been historically excluded and (b) integrate feminist approaches into psychological science. She has served as PI and Co-Investigator on various projects funded by the American Institute of Bisexuality, Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and National Institutes of Health through the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Penn State, and National Science Foundation.
Meet Some of the UP Lab
Graduate Students
Brianna Donaldson-Morton (any/all pronouns)
bbd5403@psu.edu
Brianna is a 1st year Pre-Doctoral Fellow in the dual title PhD program in Psychology (social area) and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (primary advisor: Dr. Jes Matsick). Their research focuses on the experiences of marginalized individuals from an intersectional Black feminist lens. They are especially interested in identity development and navigation of Black LGBTQ+ individuals within the United States. Brianna intends to use their research to address social issues as they pertain to their populations of interest and make their research accessible to those outside of the scientific community through policy and education. In 2015, Brianna received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.S in Biology from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater where their research focused on the creation of a neurological prosthetic using electromyography. In 2023, Brianna earned an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from Towson University were their research focused on the perception and conception of gender roles within Black queer communities. At Towson, Brianna served as the Sexuality and Gender Diversity Coordinator in which they provided resources, programming, training, and advisement for the campus community.
Emerson Todd
(he/they pronouns)
emerson@psu.edu
Emerson is a 2nd year Pre-Doctoral Fellow in the dual-title PhD program in Psychology (social area) and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (primary advisor: Dr. Jes Matsick). His research examines identity and stigma through the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and other marginalized identities. He is especially interested in identity work (e.g., how people’s lived experiences shape their identities and vice versa) and how people with marginalized bodies navigate the social world. Emerson received his B.S. in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) from East Tennessee State University in 2020, and he earned his M.A. in Sociology in 2022.
Esha Vaid
eqv5046@psu.edu
Esha Vaid is a 6th year PhD student in the child clinical psychology program. Esha’s research goals are to better understand the experiences of individuals with stigmatized identities and the individual and collective coping strategies used to respond to discrimination. She specifically is interested in the stress that arises from the intersection of multiple identities including race, body size, and sexual orientation. Esha hopes her research informs science and clinical interventions to advocate for stigmatized individuals. Before coming to Penn State, Esha earned her B.A. from Rutgers University and worked as a research assistant for Dr. Catherine Stanger at Dartmouth College and lab manager for Dr. Maurice Elias at Rutgers University.
Jude Sullivan
(any pronouns)
jts6293@psu.edu
Jude is a 2nd year Bunton-Waller Scholar in the Psychology Ph.D. program (social area, primary advisor: Dr. Jes Matsick). Jude is interested in taking a life-course approach to better understand the experiences of individuals with marginalized intersecting identities. He is particularly interested in exploring the stress, behaviors, and stigma faced by these individuals at the intersection of their gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and age. Some of Jude’s previous research has investigated nuanced understandings of manhood and masculinity across men who vary in race/ethnicity and sexual orientation. In 2022, Jude received his B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Aging Sciences from the University of South Florida. At USF, he worked as a research assistant in the Gender and Interpersonal Dynamics lab co-directed by Drs. Jennifer Bosson and Joseph Vandello, the Stress and Cardiovascular Psychophysiology directed by Dr. Kristen Salomon, Dr. Jamie Goldenberg’s lab, and in the Cognitive and Neurophysiology of Aging lab directed by Dr. Jennifer Lister.
Nikki Hedgecoth
(any/all pronouns)
nph5199@psu.edu
Nikki is a 5th year PhD student in Penn State’s Psychology program (social area) and works with Drs. Jes Matsick and Reginald Adams. Nikki is broadly interested in person perception and how it is shaped by contextual information. They investigate this through two major lines of research: 1) intersectional approach to social vision science and 2) the role of social media in shaping perception and downstream consequences. Across their research, Nikki seeks to center historically marginalized perspectives, experiences, and knowledge. To do so, Nikki draws on interdisciplinary scholarship (e.g., Black studies, sociology, feminist studies) to inform their theoretical frameworks along with incorporating more mixed methodological approaches to person perception research. They also work with Dr. Adams in Social Vision and Interpersonal Perception (SVIP) Lab. Nikki received their B.A. in Psychology and M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Management from The University of Baltimore. During that time, they worked as a research assistant for multiple faculty in the School of Public Affairs and managed Dr. Sally Farley’s social psychology lab.
Meet Some of the UP Lab
Research Assistants
Janae Sayler
Janae is a senior majoring in Psychology and Public Relations with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. She plans to attend graduate school with an interest in a Ph.D. in Social/Personality after graduating from Penn State. She is interested in studying close relationships and how relationship structures affect the identity formation of members of stigmatized groups differently.
Nia Smith
Nia is a 3rd year student who is double majoring in Psychology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Child Maltreatment. Nia plans to attend graduate school in clinical psychology while integrating her interests in women and gender studies as well. After graduate school, Nia hopes to enroll in a navy officer program as a launching pad for a position on the FBI’s Victim Unit. Her end goal is to run a safe house for adolescence who have experienced severe trauma and open her own practice. Nia feels that participating in a lab like this allows her to stay open-minded and educated about some of society's most vulnerable societal groups.
Meghan Quaid
Meghan is a sophomore majoring in English and minoring in Psychology and WGSS. She is interested in safety cues and how LGBTQ+ people interpret efforts of support. She is also interested in the prejudice surrounding specifically bisexual men and women and how they can experience more negativity in comparison to other members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Bianca Vargas Cilich
Bianca Vargas Cilich is a 1st year student majoring in Psychology and is considering a minor in Women and Gender Studies. Bianca hopes to graduate with a B.A. in Psychology and go on to grad school for Family and Marriage Therapy. After graduating, Bianca hopes to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in order to help families not only understand one another but thrive as a unit.
Former Graduate Students and Graduate Student Affiliates
Previous UP Lab graduate students now hold positions in non-profit organizations, research firms, healthcare settings, and academia.
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Dr. Terri Frasca (2023), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Dr. Flora Oswald (2023), University of Connecticut
Dr. Samantha Stevens (2023), Equity Accelerator
Dr. Mary Kruk (2022), Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN)
Dr. Lindsay Palmer (2022), UMASS Chan Medical School
Dr. Anna Salomaa (2021), VA Boston Healthcare System
Dr. Eric Layland (2020), University of Delaware
Dr. Lizbeth Kim (2019), Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation
Former Research Assistants
Daniella Dorancy (2019 -2022)
Katie Murphy (2020 - 2021)
Payton Holcomb (2019 - 2021)
Louisa Soohoo (2019-2021)
Emily Kuehrmann (2019 - 2020)
Kenny Ye (2017 - 2020)
Wahdae Elliott (2019 - 2020)
Matthew Menna (2019 - 2020)
Ally Mastrangelo (2018 - 2020)
Sofia Lynn (2017 - 2020)
Sabrina Quinones (2017 - 2020)
Nia Cartwright (2018 - 2019)
Sarah Blaylock (2018 - 2019)
Taylor Fellenz (2018 - 2019)
Katie Formichella (2017 - 2018)
Chelsea McGhee (2017 - 2018)