Lab Director

Lieny Jeon, Ph.D., (she/her) is the Jane Batten Bicentennial Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. She is also leading the Baltimore Education Research Consortium’s Early Childhood Data Collaborative. She received her PhD degree in Human Development and Family Science with a minor in Quantitative Methods at Ohio State University. She completed her post-doctoral training in the Department of Defense Child Development Virtual Laboratory School. Her research focuses on early care and education, family characteristics, and neighborhood disadvantage that impact children’s lives. She is passionate about early childhood educators’ social and emotional well-being and workforce development and the way it impacts young children’s development. She also examines how early care and education buffers challenging home and neighborhood environments and maximizes at-risk children’s development. Her research has been published in national and international peer-reviewed journals and featured in the New York Times. She was selected as an AERA-SRCD early career fellow in early education and development in 2017. 

Research Interests: Early care and education; teacher well-being; social and emotional learning

Fun Fact:  As a baseball lover, my dream is to complete all MLB ballparks tour. Fifteen stadiums out of thirty have been completed!

Xiangyu (Olivia) Zhao (she/her) is a postdoctoral research associate with the Well-being for Early Learning Lab (WELLab) and the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL). Her research focuses on early care and education, early childhood educators' well-being and workforce development, children's school readiness and social-emotional development, and cross-cultural comparisons. Zhao actively contributes to projects aimed at improving access to and the quality of educational and social services. She is a member of the Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC), a research-practice partnership with Baltimore City’s publicly funded early childhood programs. 

Research Interests: Equity in the ECE environment; social-emotional competence; well-being; cross-cultural studies

Fun Fact: The Secret Life of Pets 2 is my favorite movie. I've watched it probably over 8 times!

Sae Chapman (they/them) is a research specialist and lab manager at WELLab, assisting in both research and project management capacities. Sae earned their BA in Elementary Education with P-5 Certification from Berea College and MAeD in Elementary Education from Eastern Kentucky University. Their background in elementary education inspired them to pursue research in supporting teachers’ well-being and workplace rights, in order to promote a positive and equitable learning environment. They hope to contribute to positive change for early educators at both the individual level and at policy levels.  

Research Interests: Early childhood education; teacher well-being; leader well-being; organizational justice and labor rights; equity in ECE access

Fun Fact: My family includes 4 adults, 3 kids, and 2 cats in 1 house!

Genesis Cartagena (she/her) is a master's student in Educational Psychology - Applied Developmental Science at the University of Virginia. She finished her Bachelor’s in English as a Second Language K-12 in the University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla. Her research experience has been with the University of Virginia. 

Research Interests: Motivation; cognitive development; equality in education

Fun Fact: I love Pokémon cards and Magic the Gathering. 

Ying Hu (she/her) is a Master’s student in Educational Psychology–Applied Developmental Science at the University of Virginia. Before coming to UVA, she spent most of her career working in journalism, corporate communications, and nonprofit management. Her experiences sparked a growing interest in understanding human development and translating psychological research into practical strategies that can support children, families, educators, and schools. Through her graduate studies, Ying hopes to bridge research and practice and contribute to learning environments that promote well-being, resilience, and a sense of belonging for diverse learners.

Research Interests: Teacher and student well-being; resilience; social-emotional development; culturally responsive education; educational equity; global perspectives on learning and development

Fun Fact: I love cooking, especially Chinese cuisine, and sharing what I make with family and friends! My dumplings are a particular crowd favorite.  

Lee Luz Moreno (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Virginia intending to major in psychology. She is interested in child development, mental health, and the ways that early experiences can shape children’s well-being. Her goal is to become a child therapist, and she hopes to work with children and families in ways that are culturally sensitive and supportive. Through the WELLab, she is excited to learn more about early childhood education and contribute to research focused on the well-being of both children and educators. 

Research Interests: Child development; early childhood education; child and family mental health

Fun Fact: I love Latin dancing and I’m a choreographer for a dance team at UVA!