Channing Mathews

Channing Mathews serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia, specializing in Community Psychology. Her research examines how ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness drive STEM engagement and activism among youth of color during adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Her scholarship integrates theoretical frameworks from psychology, education, and African American studies with three central foci: (1) ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness as dual promoters of positive development for Black and Latinx youth; (2) their influence on STEM orientation; and (3) the complexity of identity and critical action behaviors including STEM-based activism. This work employs mixed-methods approaches across diverse educational contexts.

Dr. Mathews demonstrates significant publication impact in developmental psychology and STEM equity research, with recent articles examining identity-science intersections through latent class analyses, longitudinal designs, and intervention studies. Her work consistently addresses racialized barriers in STEM while highlighting youth agency and resistance strategies.

She actively mentors future scholars, accepting postdoctoral fellows through the University of Virginia Rising Scholars Program and graduate students for the 2023-2024 cycle. Her research extends to collaborations with informal STEM learning sites and examination of digital activism among immigrant youth of color.