Ann S. Masten

Ann S. Masten serves as Regents Professor, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development, and Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development within the College of Education and Human Development. Her internationally recognized research examines resilience processes in children and families facing extreme adversity including poverty, homelessness, war, and natural disasters through multisystem frameworks.

Her educational background includes a PhD from the University of Minnesota (1982). Research interests center on risk and protective processes in developmental psychopathology, with emphasis on self-regulation, parenting, and competence under stress. She investigates adaptation across contexts including migration, disasters, and pandemics, seeking integrated approaches for global challenges.

Recent publications reveal intensifying focus on cross-disciplinary resilience applications for climate change, pandemics, and forced migration. Her work bridges developmental science with practical policy solutions, particularly through large-scale administrative data integration and community-partnered research on homelessness.

Major honors include:

• Regents Professor designation
• Irving B. Harris Professorship in Child Development
• Distinguished McKnight University Professorship

Dr. Masten has mentored numerous graduate students (current and former) across psychology and education disciplines. She led the Homework Starts with Home Research Partnership—a Grand Challenge project integrating statewide data from Minnesota Housing and Education departments to address student homelessness. Her MOOC Resilience in Children Exposed to Trauma, Disaster and War reaches global audiences.

She directs Project Competence Research on Risk and Resilience (PCR3), conducting multi-systemic studies with community partners on normative and high-risk populations. Current work emphasizes multisystem integration for pandemic recovery, climate resilience, and supporting displaced children worldwide.