Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan
M.S., Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan
B.S., Psychology, University of Illinois

My work explores the developmental underpinnings of relationship processes and their impact on multiple family members’ health and well-being across the life course. Using theoretically guided, multi-method approaches that draw from different longitudinal datasets (e.g., Marriage and Retirement Study, Health and Retirement Study, Child Development Project, Early Years of Marriage), my work provides insight into why some individuals thrive in romantic relationships whereas others either have difficulty establishing and maintaining these close ties or choose to forgo romantic relationships entirely and how these differences shape later adjustment and health.

More recently, I founded the Relationships & Development Lab to work with students and collaborators to explore the role of developmental timing in determining the costs and benefits of different romantic relationship processes, as the behaviors that promote couples’ adjustment and well-being earlier in the lifespan may in fact undermine it later in life.

Romantic relationships across the life course
Adulthood and aging
Observational, dyadic research

In addition to having served as Director of Graduate Studies, I serve my discipline as an
Editorial Board Member for Family Process, Journal of Family Theory & Review, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and Personal Relationships. I am a member of the Elections Committee and Awards Committee for International Association for Relationship Research and a member of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Mid-Career Development Workgroup with the Gerontological Society of America.