Laura L. Pendergast, Ph.D.
Dr. Pendergast is the founder and director of the SEAD research group. She is an assistant professor in the school psychology program (POLS department) at Temple University and completed her doctoral training in school psychology at The Pennsylvania State University. The overarching goal of her research is to promote excellence and equity in social-emotional assessment. She uses multivariate and measurement statistics (e.g., factor analysis, structural equation modeling, IRT) to evaluate the equivalence of constructs and measures related to social and emotional problems (depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety) across cultural groups, and she evaluates the validity and utility of assessments for interventions among diverse populations.
Graduate Researchers
Devlina is a fifth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program (Ph.D. track) at Temple University. Her primary research interests focuses on mental health stigma as well as stereotype threat across different cultural groups, though she has a particular interest in South Asian communities. She received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where she double majored in Psychology and Journalism & Media Studies. Before enrolling at Temple University, Devlina was a Senior Research Assistant at the John Abela Institute of Research on Youth Depression, and also worked as a Family Support Specialist for adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities through the Arc of Middlesex County. Devlina has been a part of the SEAD Research Group since her first year at temple, and has been able to produce scholarly presentations for multiple conferences with the work done through the research group. Aside from academics, Devlina loves writing, traveling and learning about new cultures and customs – her favorite hobby being trying different restaurants and cuisines from across the globe! She also stays actively involved in her own cultural community, having served several officer positions in groups focused on Indian/Bengali customs.
Linda is a fourth-year graduate student in the School Psychology program at Temple University. Her research interest focuses on improving social-emotional assessments across diverse populations. Linda received her B.A in psychology from Temple University. She is currently the Evaluation Extern at the Wellness Resource Center at Temple University. Outside of academics, Linda enjoys going down to the beach and reading novels.
Danielle (Dani) is a forth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program (Ph.D. track) at Temple University. She graduated from North Carolina State University in 2014 with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in French. Dani is most passionate about healthy identity development and high achievement in Black females. Her research interests include how identity development in Black female adolescents effects achievement and factors that enabled high achievement in Black women from high-risk, underprivileged backgrounds. For the past 5 years, Dani has been heavily involved in leadership development and service, and she now serves as the graduate extern for Temple’s Office of Leadership Development. In this position, she plans and facilitates leadership building workshops, seminars, and conferences. Outside of academics, Dani identifies as “Philly foodie” and delights in the incredible food culture of Philadelphia. Dani is also an artist and hopes to use her art to empower and inspire women to accept their individual uniqueness and beauty.
Brittney is a third-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at Temple University. She graduated with a B.A in Psychology from Kent State University in 2012. Upon graduation Brittney worked as a clinical research assistant for three years in the Department of Psychiatry at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her current research interests include multicultural assessment, actuarial decision making in schools, and examining the “School to Poverty Pipeline” for African American girls. Outside of academics, Brittney enjoys yoga, and cooking new recipes!
Samantha is a first year student in the School Psychology PhD program at Temple University and excited to be joining the SEAD research team. Samantha was previously a graduate student in the Specialist in School Psychology program at Eastern Illinois University, where she earned a Master’s degree. She received a B.A. in Child and Family Studies at Albright College in 2015. Her research interests include social-emotional assessment, urban schools, teacher success, and the intersection of those factors for ethnic minority students. Samantha is currently a teaching assistant and research assistant in the College of Education. When she is not participating in scholarly activities, Samantha enjoys spending time with her dog, Bruce, taking walks, and watching films.
Mariah is a recent graduate of Villanova University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree with a dual major in Psychology and Spanish and a minor in English. During her last year at Villanova, she interned at the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, now Aperture Education, where she learned about the process of applied research as well as the development of social-emotional assessments (DECA, DESSA). She was also involved in a laboratory group focused on resilience and the building of protective factors in homeless families in shelters in Philadelphia. She is just starting out this year as a graduate student in the Ph. D. School Psychology program here at Temple and plans to have a research focus in Social-Emotional Assessments and their validity among diverse populations.
Alumni Researchers
Paul Jones
Thomas Dixon
Mona Sarshar
Pei-Chun Liao
Ji-Young Yoon
Denae Sisco
Joshua Boden
Sofia Pham
Robertha Davis
William Plank