Assaf Oshri

Assaf Oshri is a Professor and Director of the Georgia Center for Developmental Science at the University of Georgia's College of Family and Consumer Sciences. He holds affiliations with the Integrated Life Science Program (Neuroscience group) and the Psychology Department. His research focuses on youth development, resilience, and risk behaviors using multi-method approaches (neuroimaging, psychophysiology, surveys). He directs the STAR Workgroup at the Owen Institute Behavioral Research (OIBR) and has led studies on early-life adversity, stress, and decision-making.

Education:

• B.A. in Behavioral Sciences, Ben-Gurion University (2000)
• Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology, Florida International University (2009)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Developmental Psychopathology, University of Rochester (2011)

Research Interests: Developmental psychopathology, resilience mechanisms, multi-level research (neural to societal), and the hormesis model. He investigates how early adversity influences adolescent risk behaviors (e.g., substance use) and resilience through biopsychosocial pathways.

Key Contributions: Pioneered the hormesis model linking moderate stress to resilience. Published extensively on child maltreatment, socioeconomic hardship, and neural correlates of decision-making. His work informs interventions to promote resilience in vulnerable youth.

Awards:

• Early Career Faculty Research Award (FACS, 2015)
• NIH-NIDA K01 Career Award ($1M, 2018–2023)
• NIH-NIDA R01 Grants (2023–2028)

Service & Leadership: Associate Editor of Journal of Research on Adolescence; editorial board member of Developmental Psychobiology, Development & Psychopathology, and others. Director of the Georgia Center for Developmental Science (since 2024).

Labs/Teams: STAR Workgroup (Stress, Adversity, Trauma, & Resilience) within OIBR; affiliated with UGA's Integrated Life Sciences Neuroscience program.