Yufei Gu, M.S.Ed

Yufei (she/her) is a 5th-year doctoral student in Developmental Psychology at New York University - Abu Dhabi Global PhD Program, co-mentored by Dr. Theodore Waters and Dr. Niobe Way. She pursued her Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Interactive Media at NYUAD and her Master's Degree in Learning, Science & Technology at University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education. She conducted her bachelor's capstone project on the relationship between infants' attachment security level and their later development of interpersonal relationships. Yufei is interested in the relationship between children's early childhood experience with caregivers and their mental health, academic performance and peer relationships later in life.

Esther Sin, M.A.

Esther (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in the Developmental Psychology program at NYU Steinhardt. Broadly she is interested in the intersections of culture, context, and human development. Specifically, Esther uses mixed methods to understand (1) how sociocultural contexts affect developmental trajectories of immigrant youth, (2) how cultural ideologies shape mothers' gender socialization across ethnic groups, and (3) how gender socialization is related to adolescent socio-emotional development. Prior to starting at NYU, Esther completed a B.S. at Boston University and her M.A. at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she worked with Dr. Suniya Luthar. Esther was in brand consulting before she made a shift to developmental psychology.

Jonathan Wu

Jonathan (he/him) is an undergraduate senior (class of 2026) at New York University's College of Arts and Science. He is currently pursuing a B.A. in Psychology (with departmental honors), as well as minors in CAMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies) and Chemistry. Jonathan is interested in understanding the relationship between interpersonal curiosity and mental health to promote child and adolescent wellbeing across diverse contexts.

Nivedita malu

Nivedita Malu is a rising senior at New York University studying Applied Psychology and Economics. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of psychology and economics, particularly in understanding how social, developmental, and economic factors shape individual behavior and wellbeing. Within psychology, she is especially interested in developmental psychology, with a focus on the development and experiences of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. At the SoHC Lab, she has contributed to the Listening Project through behavioral coding, worked on an unexpressed curiosity coding scheme examining its relationship to empathy, completed IPC type coding, and transcribed interviews for the CHS study. Outside of research, she enjoys exploring how psychological research can be applied to real-world systems, communities, and policy.

Melissa Wald

Melissa Wald is a master’s student in the Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness program at NYU Steinhardt. Her research interests center on adolescent development, curiosity, interpersonal relationships, mindfulness, and LGBTQ+ mental health. At the Science of Human Connection (SoHC) Lab, she works on projects examining interpersonal and intellectual curiosity development in context, including clinical data collection related to children’s question-asking, parent-child interactions, and social connection.

Zocelyn zhou

Jocelyn is an undergraduate student (class of 2027) at NYU College of Arts and Science, majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She has been working on the Listening Project and Interpersonal Curiosity Project since joining the lab in 2025. Broadly, her research interests center around human development, interpersonal curiosity, gender, and education.

Zoe Hong

Zoe is a rising senior at NYU Gallatin studying Neuropsychology. Her academic interests lie in understanding the relationship between brain mechanisms and behavior, with a particular focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental differences. In the SoHC Lab, she has contributed to literature reviews examining the intersection of neurodivergence and curiosity, conducted behavioral coding, and assisted in creating transcriptions for the CHS study. Zoe is interested in pursuing a career as a neuropsychologist, integrating both clinical practice and research.

Joseph D. Nelson, Ph.D.

Dr. Nelson, co-founder of The Listening with Curiosity Project, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at Swarthmore College, and affiliated faculty with the Black Studies Program and the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. He is also a Senior Research Fellow with the Center for the Study of Boys' and Girls' Lives at the University of Pennsylvania. His research employs interdisciplinary frameworks to examine identity, culture, and urban school reform from a qualitative inquiry stance. In the low-income neighborhood where he grew up, Dr. Nelson taught first-grade in a single-sex class of Black and Latino boys.

Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Ph.D.

Dr. Yoshikawa is the Courtney Sale Ross Professor of Globalization and Education at New York University Steinhardt, and a University Professor at NYU. He is the Co-Director of the Global TIES for Children Center. He conducts work on child and youth development in the areas of immigration, refugee and humanitarian contexts, early childhood, poverty reduction, and sexuality. He engages in research-practice and research-policy partnerships in the United States as well as in Latin America, South Asia, and the Middle East.

Holly Van Hare, M.A.

Holly Van Hare was the Director of The Listening Project. She received her master’s degree in Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement from New York University, where she focused her research on educational spaces and how cultural biases and stereotypes hinder access to education and affect learning experiences for certain groups. Holly has taught in public schools in New York City and Boston, M.A. and has a background in curriculum development. Additionally, she has participated in research in trauma-informed and preventative health education programs, body size and inclusivity in education, and anti-oppressive education.

Nathania B. Zhong, B.S.

Nata (she/her/dia) was the LCP’s Project Coordinator working under Dr. Niobe Way at NYU Steinhardt. She graduated from New York University in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. Her senior thesis at NYU focused on integrating critical consciousness and resistance literatures, consolidating insights from both fields. She will be starting her Ph.D. in Critical Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center in August 2026.