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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

Meet Some of the UP Lab
Research Assistants

Janae Sayler

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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

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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.

Corrinne Chase

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Corrinne is 2nd year student double majoring in Psychology and Statistics, with a minor in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She hopes to attend graduate school in the future and hopefully will enter the field of psychology research.

Meghan Quaid

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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

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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)

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