Jenae Neiderhiser
Dr. Neiderhiser’s research is focused on understanding how interpersonal relationships, especially those within the family, are influenced by genetic factors via gene-environment correlation and interaction and the subsequent links to later adjustment in children and adults. More recently her work has included the examination of prenatal and early life risks in relation to child and adult adjustment. Dr. Neiderhiser interested in understanding how interpersonal relationships shape and are shaped by children throughout the lifespan. One of the more novel findings emerging from her current work is that prenatal and early life risks appear to be mechanisms by which genetic factors influence child adjustment. Dr. Neiderhiser has used a variety of genetically informed research designs to examine gene-environment interplay including a longitudinal adolescent twin/sibling design, a study of twin parents of an adolescent and their family, a prospective longitudinal parent-offspring adoption study, a study of preadolescent twin children oversampled for residing in high risk neighborhoods, and a large international data harmonization study including multiple adult twin samples. These studies include extensive assessment of the environment within the household, interpersonal relationships, adult and child adjustment, temperament and personality and other related measures and together span the lifespan.
Jenae is also a faculty mentor of graduate students for graduate student fellowships: TIES, PAMT, and Healthy Aging.