Heather Henderson

Heather Henderson is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on developmental pathways linking early temperament traits like behavioral inhibition to later psychosocial outcomes, with particular emphasis on anxiety, social behavior, and neurocognitive processes. She examines how factors such as parenting, cognitive control, and peer interactions shape child and adolescent development. Her work integrates longitudinal studies, neuroimaging, and behavioral experiments to understand mechanisms underlying anxiety and social competence.

Key areas of investigation include:

• Temperament stability and change across childhood
• Neurobehavioral correlates of behavioral inhibition
• Social anxiety etiology and prevention
• Executive function development
• Peer dynamics in shy children

Her recent publications highlight developmental trajectories from infancy through adolescence, emphasizing brain-behavior relationships and contextual influences. She collaborates on ENIGMA-anxiety mega-analyses and studies pandemic impacts on mental health. Henderson’s work appears in top journals like Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology and Development and Psychopathology.

As Department Chair, she oversees academic governance while maintaining active research and mentoring roles. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges developmental psychology, neuroscience, and clinical practice to address mental health challenges in youth.