Our Team

Kate Zinsser, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Kate Zinsser is a Full Professor of Psychology. She received her B.A. from Smith College in Northampton Massachusetts and her Ph.D. from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She currently teaches in the Community & Prevention Research doctoral training program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Zinsser’s research focuses on the quality of early childhood environments, especially the ways by which adults promote young children’s social and emotional competence and well-being. Her work examines early childhood teacher-child interactions, classroom processes, instruction quality and emotion socialization practices that promote children’s social success, positive development, and achievement. She is especially interested in studying systems and policies that impact young children’s learning (e.g., recent preschool expulsion legislation, child care providers’ workplace experiences and well-being, and equity and inclusion in quality care). She is a former post-doctoral fellow of the National Academy of Education, former Associate Editor of Early Education & Development, and was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Institute for Education Sciences, the Spencer Foundation, and the Society for Community Research & Action. Dr. Zinsser has also consulted with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), and the PBS Kids Network.

When not in the lab, Dr. Zinsser enjoys spending time with her family cooking, hiking, and exploring Chicago.

John Borrero, M.Ed.

Doctoral Student - Community & Applied Developmental Psychology

John Borrero is a doctoral student in the Psychology department of the University of Illinois at Chicago, pursuing a concentration in Community and Applied Developmental Psychology. He comes to UIC after having pursued a career in service of children and families, through grant-based leadership work with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start.

John's research interests include social and emotional teaching and learning and racial equity within the early childhood space. He was inspired to return to school to develop his capacity to support policymakers and community leaders to better support young Black and brown children.

He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction with a concentration in Early Childhood Special Needs from Boston College. When he's not struggling to keep up with his writing or yelling at R, John is an avid traveler, baker and gardener.

He is also a transplant from NYC, who still misses the pizza.

Maya Chan Morales

Doctoral Student - Clinical Psychology

Maya Chan Morales is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a recipient of the Access to Excellence Fellowship, as well as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program (NSF-GRFP). Maya graduated from UC Berkeley in 2018 with a BA in Psychology and Anthropology, and before starting at UIC, was a clinical research coordinator at the Child Brain and Behavior Lab at Stanford, a research assistant at UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians (CHO), and a research assistant at the Stress and Development Lab at Harvard University. Her primary research interests are in early life stress, trauma, and adversity in the foster care system, and how these environmental factors can impact a child's neurological and behavioral development, and more specifically, contribute to mental health risks in children and adolescents. In her spare time, Maya likes to read, sing, write poetry, climb, and explore the outdoors!

Maya's CV

Allegra Hinojosa-Cabrera

Doctoral Student - Community & Applied Developmental Psychology

Allegra Hinojosa-Cabrera is a doctoral student in Psychology with a concentration in Community and Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She was awarded the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) Early Admission Fellowship at UIC. Allegra earned her BS in Human Development and Family Studies and a BSLAS in Developmental Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2024. During undergrad, she was a Research Assistant in Dr. Kelly Tu’s ADAPT Lab where she studied children’s responses to maternal advice-giving during adolescence.

Her research interests center on youth policy and program evaluation, with a focus on social-emotional development and educator support. Outside of research and coursework, Allegra enjoys crocheting, getting lost in a good book, and trying out new coffee shops!