April S. Masarik, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Psychological Science

Hello and welcome to my personal website!

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Boise State University. My job is to conduct research, teach, and provide service to my profession and community. I have roots at Boise State University, where I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology in 2007.

After Boise State, I went to California and earned my M.S. degree in Child Development (2011) and Ph.D. in Human Development & Family Studies (2014) from the University of California, Davis. After graduate school, I was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Family Research Group at UC Davis and collaborated with folks at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics (DU, Boulder). Now I'm back at Boise State. FULL CIRCLE. Go Broncos!

My research centers on stress and resilience, dynamics in close relationships, intergenerational transmission, and the social, cultural, and biological influences on human development. I have experience with longitudinal and multi-method research (e.g., survey, interview, behavioral interactions, cortisol) involving multiple family members and generations. More recently, I have incorporated community-based participatory approaches in my research.

At Boise State University, I teach classes in Child Development, Adolescent & Adult Development, Multicultural Perspectives on Children and Families, and Research Methods. I also enjoy teaching at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. To date, I've interacted with thousands of students in the classroom and mentored nearly 100 students in research and teaching. Working with students is the most rewarding part of my job.

In research, I collaborate with undergraduate students, faculty, and community partners in the Human Development & Ecology Lab. Right now, we are focused on better understanding the health and well-being among resettling refugee youth and families. This research is funded by the Spencer Foundation.

In service, I'm on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Youth and Adolescence and a Co-Guest Editor for the Journal of Family Psychology (Special Issue: Resilience Processes in the Family Stress Model). I'm a member the American Psychological Association, the National Council on Family Relations, and the Society for Research in Adolescent Development to name a few. I'm also a Faculty Advisor for Psi Chi (BSU Chapter). Thanks for stopping by.