Biography

Dr. Xiaoya Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences at the University of Florida. She obtained her Ph.D. in Human Development with Designated Emphasis in Computational Science at the University of California, Davis in 2022.

Research Interests

Dr. Zhang’s research program has three lines: 1) individual differences and population heterogeneity in susceptibility to both positive and negative aspects of experiences and exposures; 2) broader inequities contributing to adversities and the effects of adversities on the mental and behavioral health of youth; 3) precision-based prevention programs. Methodologically, she employs a combination of advanced statistical and computational methods to address these research questions. Dr. Zhang’s interests focus on:

• Person-X-environment interaction
• Developmental plasticity
• Youth mental/behavioral health
• Precision-based prevention
• Application of AI/Computational social science
• Quantitative methods