Chris Collen, MA

Chris joins us from the SMILE Lab (Strengthening Mental Health in Living/Learning Environments), under Dr. Randi Bates, where he worked as a Research Associate. As a developmental psychologist, his prior role was as a researcher at SproutFive, one of the few research- and laboratory-based preschools in the United States. Chris earned his Master of Arts in educational psychology from The Ohio State University and has a graduate specialization in Applied Development. He has a wealth of experience working with youth across all age ranges, from birth to 12th grade, including as a dedicated K-12 teacher and published developmental researcher. He is also an award-winning psychology undergraduate instructor. With specialized training from Harvard University on cognition, mental health and stress, Chris has expertise in a number of early childhood assessments, including observation and experiment-based. Notably, he is a certified observer using the Environmental Rating Scales (ITERS/ECERS), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), the Bayley Scales of Infant Child Development, and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). He now works on the TASK III study as a Data Collector.