Team

Dr. Michael R. Sladek (“Mike”) (he/they) is the CHARMS Lab Director and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Oklahoma. They completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2018-2022), a Ph.D. and M.A. in Psychology at Arizona State University (2013-2018), and a B.A. with Honors in Psychology (minors in Spanish and Political Science) at Northwestern University (2009-2013). Drawing from cultural-ecological models that situate development in context and emphasizing strengths-based identity-affirming approaches, Mike endeavors to conduct research that informs ways to support youth growing up in a world shaped by systems that are inequitable on the basis of the socially constructed and intersecting categories of ethnoracial background, gender, and sexuality. This work centers identity development in context – the processes through which adolescents and young adults explore, come to understand, and feel about their identities pertaining to social group memberships as they navigate family, peer, school, online, and community settings. Working alongside a team of collaborators (see Research Projects), Mike’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the Institute of Education Sciences (U.S. Department of Education). They have been honored with awards for research, teaching, and mentoring from the American Psychological Association, Arizona State University, and The University of Oklahoma. Mike is a Consulting Editor for the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Child Development, and the Journal of Research on Adolescence. They serve on the Leadership Committee (Secretary) for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity & Expression (SOGIE) Caucus of the Society for Research in Child Development (2025-2027).

Lane is a first-year graduate student in the Applied Social and Developmental Ph.D. program. She works as Mike’s advisee to help contribute to the meaningful research being done in the CHARMS Lab. Her research interests are the development of identity and personality across the lifespan, as well as possible mental and physical health implications.

Sofia is a senior majoring in Health and Exercise Science on the Pre-PT track with a minor in Spanish. She chose to be a part of the CHARMS Lab because she wants to learn more through research on how to better provide healthcare in the future.

Shona is a junior international student majoring in Psychology and Criminology. She joined the CHARMS Lab due to her passion for social justice and the opportunity to apply this passion to research.