Development in School Contexts Lab

Timothy W. Curby

Tim Curby

Dr. Curby is a professor in the Applied Developmental Psychology program and chair of the Psychology Department. Dr. Curby’s work focuses on examining the role teacher–student interactions have in promoting children's development, particularly in regards to children's social–emotional development. His work consistently applies advanced statistical models to school-based research. His PhD in Educational Psychology is from the University of Virginia.  Prior to that, Dr. Curby earned an MA in Teaching and a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan.

Curriculum Vitae

Interested in applying to graduate school?  Email Dr. Curby (tcurby@gmu.edu)


Emma Casey

Emma Gregory

Emma is a finishing doctoral student in Applied Developmental Psychology. She received her BS in Nutrition Science from Penn State and is a Registered Dietitian. Prior to joining the program, Emma worked in food policy and science communications for five years in Washington D.C. Regarding research, she is interested in interoceptive processes and their development in children.


Narie Kim

Narie Kim

Narie is a second year doctoral student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program. She received her B.A. in Psychology & Public Policy at the College of William & Mary, before gaining experiences as a research coordinator with Maryland Opioid Research, then with the National Center for School Mental Health. She is interested in early social-emotional development, and more specifically in pre-k student-teacher interactions.

Cydney Kennedy

Cydney Kennedy

Cydney is a second year Masters student. Her studies and research interests include understanding the ways in which classroom dynamics influence children's emotional development. Cydney's thesis is exploring the use of mobile EEG as a way to understand emotional processing by teachers presenting emotional content to children.


Allie Diaz

Iyanla Wilborn


Allie is an incoming masters student starting in the 2026-2027 academic year. She completed a double-major in Psychology (with Honors) and Sociology from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.