Name: Kristin Moilanen
Title: Proposal Development Coordinator
Hometown: Fenton, Michigan
Where did you work prior to joining CYFS? What was your role there, and what did it entail?
“After completing my Ph.D. in developmental psychology at UNL in 2005, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology at the University of Pittsburgh prior to stepping into a faculty role as an assistant (and later associate) professor in Child Development and Family Studies at West Virginia University. I was also an associate editor, then later became the editor-in-chief, of the “Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.” I left WVU in 2022 for a remote visiting research specialist position in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois–Chicago. I wore many hats in this role, in which I was the project manager and lead data analyst for a NIH-funded study on health in middle adulthood.
“Over the past 20 years, I’ve done a little bit of everything involved in the academic research enterprise. I’ve designed studies, modified IRB protocols in response to unanticipated constraints, collected and prepared data, crunched a lot of numbers and analyzed texts as part of mixed method inquiries, written papers for publication, submitted and reviewed grants, tracked post-award budgets, designed and taught undergraduate and graduate classes, mentored students and junior colleagues in a wide range of professional capacities, served on and chaired committees, completed reviews, written hundreds of decision letters and selected new editorial board members.”
How did you learn about CYFS?
“I was writing my dissertation in psychology at UNL when CYFS was originally founded in 2004. For the past two decades, I have been fortunate to keep abreast of CYFS’s noteworthy successes through professional connections and formal public-facing channels.”
How did you become interested in your field?
“I was fascinated by the varied, complex processes that culminate in adolescent health risk behaviors — specifically how self-regulation is linked to involvement in sexual risk behaviors. Over time, that shifted into curiosity about how changes beget other changes, including how shifts in individual and social covariates are linked to longitudinal behavioral pathways and outcomes. Throughout my scholarly career, I have published research spanning infancy through midlife on a range of topics in developmental science.”
What are you looking forward to here at CYFS?
“I am excited to engage with investigators who are passionate about doing impactful research that has the potential to improve developmental outcomes for individuals, families and society. One of the highlights of my seven years as a journal editor was the constant exposure to new and fascinating ideas in scholarly areas outside of my own expertise. It was fun to read papers written by scholars who were clearly passionate about their ideas.
“I am looking forward to experiencing similar intangible intellectual rewards at CYFS. I anticipate that it will be even more fulfilling when initial discussions about research ideas lead to successful grant proposals that can culminate in meaningful improvements in the lives of the children and youth of Nebraska, and for their families and schools.”
What are some of your hobbies/interests in your spare time?
“In my spare time, I’m a bookworm: I devour fiction, and frequently read in the genres of contemporary romance and romantasy. I also like to swim, work in my garden and tinker in the kitchen. I’m very fortunate to live adjacent to one of the city’s trails, which I enjoy on my bike as much as I can whenever the weather is suitable.”