

Email: nm3543@nyu.edu
Year Entered Program: 2020
Research Interests: Transformative Social Emotional Learning (TSEL); Educational Interventions; Implementation Science; Research-Practice-Community Partnerships
Principal Advisor(s): Dr. Elise Cappella, Dr. Erin Godfrey, Dr. Shabnam Javdani
Research Description/Bio:
Natalie May is a doctoral student in the Psychology and Social Intervention Program at NYU Steinhardt. Her current research focuses on three different areas: (1) supporting educators to integrate culturally responsive and trauma-informed social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions into school settings, (2) mapping the educational trajectories of young people impacted by the juvenile legal system, and identifying strategies to support their own educational goals, and (3) investigating the processes and dynamics that shape partnerships between researchers and practitioners in education. Natalie approaches her work through a practitioner-focused lens, informed by her time teaching preschool while completing her Bachelors and Masters at Wesleyan University. Prior to joining NYU, she served as a Project Coordinator for the Center for Social Development and Education, partnering with educators to develop inclusive SEL extracurricular programming for high school students with and without intellectual disabilities.