Welcome to the Promoting Healthy Adolescent Development (PHAD) Lab! We are a psychology lab at the University of Virginia, led by Dr. Noelle Hurd. As a lab, our program of research focuses on identifying ways to build up pre-existing strengths in youths’ lives (e.g., intergenerational relationships) and exploring opportunities to disrupt systems of oppression. We work with the university and the larger Charlottesville community to conduct research that helps us better understand the factors that lead to healthy development, with a specific emphasis on marginalized youth and emerging adults. 

Our lab is the home to research assistants, graduate students, and post-docs across different areas of psychology (e.g., community, clinical, developmental, social) and other disciplines (e.g., education, sociology). Learn more about members of our research team by clicking on the People tab above! If you are interested in learning more about our ongoing projects, click on the Research tab. Finally, if you are interested in joining the lab as a graduate student or undergraduate research assistant, find out more by clicking on the Join The Lab tab.