Yalda T. Uhls

Yalda T. Uhls serves as Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she founded and directs the Center for Scholars & Storytellers. This initiative bridges academic research with entertainment industry practices to maximize positive media impacts on youth development through evidence-based collaborations with studios and platforms.

Her academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, complemented by a Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Philosophy in Developmental Psychology from UCLA. Prior to her academic career, she spent 15 years as a senior film executive at major studios including MGM and Sony, providing unique industry insights that inform her translational research approach.

Dr. Uhls' research program investigates how traditional and digital media shape preteen and adolescent social behavior, with particular emphasis on proactive strategies for families and content creators to harness media for positive health outcomes. Her work extends to critical examinations of diversity, inclusion, and implicit bias in media representation, reflecting her perspective as an American-born child of Iranian immigrants. She actively promotes evidence-based media practices through her advisory roles with organizations including Common Sense Media, YouTube Kids, and the Barbie advisory council.

Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent focus on media's developmental impacts, with recent work exploring parental mediation techniques, cross-cultural digital behaviors, and screen-free environments for emotion recognition. Her 2014 study demonstrating improved nonverbal emotion skills in preteens after screen-free outdoor camps received widespread attention in outlets like Time Magazine and the New York Times.

Her significant contributions have been recognized through:

• Society for Research in Child Development Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award (2015)
• UCLA Dissertation Award
• UCLA Service Award for Psychology in Action

As an educator, she teaches the undergraduate course Digital Media and Human Development while mentoring students through Psychology in Action, a graduate-student-run program translating research for public audiences. Her industry-academic bridge-building has led to consultations with the White House, Google, Pixar, NFL, and Harvard Business School, alongside authoring the parenting guide Media Moms & Digital Dads.

The Center for Scholars & Storytellers represents her flagship initiative, creating structured pathways for entertainment industry professionals to access developmental science through workshops, reports, and direct collaborations, thereby operationalizing her vision of media as a positive developmental tool.