Meriah L. DeJoseph, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of Denver
Hi, and welcome! I’m a developmental psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver, where I direct the SAGE Lab. My research examines how children learn and regulate their behavior, particularly in the context of economic hardship. I’m curious about how children adapt to their environments and why strategies that help in one setting might come with tradeoffs in another. I hope what we learn helps build a more balanced understanding of children’s development and how to support them.
A lot of how I approach this work comes from my upbringing. I grew up below the poverty line and was the first in my family to graduate from college. I saw firsthand how families adapt when resources are limited and so much is outside their control, and how much creativity and care goes into those adjustments. I want our science to reflect that complexity and be useful to the families it concerns. For me, that includes thinking about who gets to contribute to science and how we share what we learn. I founded the NextGen Psych Scholars Program to connect aspiring researchers from underrepresented backgrounds with mentors across career stages. I also co-direct the CERA network, where we aim to bring greater nuance to public conversations about childhood adversity and make research in this area more accessible.