Meet Our Team
Principle investigator
Leah Hibel, Ph.D.
Dr. Hibel's research focuses on the implications of stressful family contexts for mother and child health and well-being. A core component of her research involves the integration of biological markers of stress physiology into studies of family relationships. Specifically, she is interested in understanding how family stress affects a mother’s ability to act as an external regulator of her child’s behavioral and physiological functioning. In addition, she studies how these stressors impact maternal stress physiology and maternal behavior. She strives to incorporate a culturally informed, strength-based approach to her work.
Dr. Hibel's research focuses on the implications of stressful family contexts for mother and child health and well-being. A core component of her research involves the integration of biological markers of stress physiology into studies of family relationships. Specifically, she is interested in understanding how family stress affects a mother’s ability to act as an external regulator of her child’s behavioral and physiological functioning. In addition, she studies how these stressors impact maternal stress physiology and maternal behavior. She strives to incorporate a culturally informed, strength-based approach to her work.
Graduate Students
Chase Boyer
Chase Boyer is a doctoral student in Human Development at UC Davis and has been a graduate student researcher with the California Babies Project since 2019. He has been primarily involved in data management and survey design as well as training staff.
Chase Boyer is a doctoral student in Human Development at UC Davis and has been a graduate student researcher with the California Babies Project since 2019. He has been primarily involved in data management and survey design as well as training staff.
Bri Grosskopf
Bri is a doctoral student in Human Development, with Dr. Lenna Ontai in the Parenting and Child Health and Development Lab. Her research interests are broadly focused on socialization processes that shape eating behavior in infancy and early childhood and she is currently running a study with the Hibel Lab to explore how parents support their child’s self regulation of appetite and emotions.
Bri is a doctoral student in Human Development, with Dr. Lenna Ontai in the Parenting and Child Health and Development Lab. Her research interests are broadly focused on socialization processes that shape eating behavior in infancy and early childhood and she is currently running a study with the Hibel Lab to explore how parents support their child’s self regulation of appetite and emotions.
UNdergraduate students
Angie Hurtado
Angie is a 4th year undergraduate student at UC Davis majoring in Human Development. Since joining the project in June 2022, she worked on a summer project that investigated the relationship between cultural stressors and salivary cortisol levels in Mexican-origin women. Currently, she assists in organizing the salivary sample collection and administering assessments to families during on-campus visits. With the skills learned from being a part of the Hibel Lab, Angie hopes to enroll in a PhD program in the behavioral neuroscience or human development field.
Angie is a 4th year undergraduate student at UC Davis majoring in Human Development. Since joining the project in June 2022, she worked on a summer project that investigated the relationship between cultural stressors and salivary cortisol levels in Mexican-origin women. Currently, she assists in organizing the salivary sample collection and administering assessments to families during on-campus visits. With the skills learned from being a part of the Hibel Lab, Angie hopes to enroll in a PhD program in the behavioral neuroscience or human development field.