Associate Director

Carlos E. Santos, PhD
 

Carlos E. Santos is an associate professor in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Department of Social Welfare. He holds an undergraduate and doctoral degree in psychology from NYU. He completed his master's in education at Harvard University. His research focuses on ethnic-racial identity, gender identity, and sexual minority identity using an intersectional approach. He employs developmental theories and empirical methodologies in order to study the contexts within which identities are formed, develop, and change over time among primarily Latinx youth. His research has also explored legal consciousness among immigrant Latinx youth and the development of these youth in contexts that are hostile towards immigrants. He has been recognized for pioneering research that shows the effect of peer networks on identity formation, and was awarded multiple early career awards for achievement in research from three different national professional associations. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Santos is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Forum on Children’s Well-Being.