We are excited for our new Assistant Professor, Caroline Kelsey to start after the new year, but in the meantime she is currently looking for students to join her team!
The Study of Early Experiences on Development (SEED) Lab's research focuses on understanding how infants and young children grow and develop.
Visit the homepage to learn more about how you can get involved.
As always, we had to ask our standard questions when we have some new coming to town.
Can you briefly share your academic and professional background that led you to the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?
When sharing my academic journey, I always like to emphasize that the path was not linear, and I did not always know what the next step would be. I am originally from Connecticut and went to Pennsylvania State University for my undergraduate degree. During undergrad, I thought I wanted to be a medical doctor and took all the classes required for a biology degree, and enrolled in extra psychology classes just for fun. During this time, I also got involved in research and found myself enjoying the interactions with participants and the research process. After undergrad, I stayed a year at Penn State and worked three different part-time jobs. During this time, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the next best steps. These reflections lead me to apply to a Master’s in Experimental Psychology program at The College of William and Mary. Here, I worked under the advisement of Dr. Danielle Dallaire on an intervention project aimed at improving birth outcomes for incarcerated women. This program was a great help to me as it gave me in-depth training in the research process and helped to hone my research and career interests. With that, I applied and was accepted to the developmental psychology PhD program at the University of Virginia under the advisement of Drs. Tobias Grossmann and Amrisha Vaish. This was a wonderful experience where I got hands-on training working with a wide age range of children (infancy through early childhood) and an array of methodologies (neuroimaging, behavioral, and biospecimen). After completing my doctoral degree, I obtained a postdoctoral position at Boston Children’s Hospital under the advisement of Dr. Charles Nelson. Here, I worked on two large longitudinal studies aimed at identifying early emerging biomarkers of psychopathology and developmental disorders. I am beyond excited to return to my Big-10 roots at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an Assistant Professor in the Developmental Area.
Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve during your time at UIUC's Department of Psychology? Are there any long-term goals you're aiming for?
I am very much looking forward to starting my lab, teaching, and mentoring students. My research is aimed at understanding how our brains and behaviors develop, what environmental factors impact development, and what are the early emerging detectable signals that someone may be in need of additional services and intervention. To answer these questions, I hope to take the research out of the lab and into the community. This is a key step in making work translatable and decreasing subject burden in participation.
On a personal note, what do you enjoy doing outside of your academic and professional life? Any hobbies, interests, or experiences you'd like to share?
I am a big sports fan – Formula 1 car racing and college football are two of my favorites. I am looking forward to attending UIUC sporting events. Beyond sports, I enjoy bargain hunting at thrift stores to find a great deal on a great item. In addition, I love traveling and trying new foods.
Welcome, Dr. Kelsey!