Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
North Carolina State University

Contact Information:
Email: ehope@ncsu.edu
Website: www.elanhope.com
Twitter: @HopesPsychology

Research Interests & Goals:
Dr. Elan Hope is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at North Carolina State University and director of the Hope Lab. In the Hope Lab, Dr. Hope and her team take an assets-based approach to investigate factors that promote well-being for marginalized adolescents and emerging adults who face racism and racial discrimination. Dr. Hope’s research is deeply rooted in the belief that while there are common developmental experiences among racially marginalized youth, individual differences and contextual variation require a deep exploration of diverse pathways to success and well-being. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, Dr. Hope examines well-being as psychological and physical health, academic success, and civic engagement. In her most recent work, Dr. Hope is examining factors that are related to wellbeing, including racial identity, critical consciousness, racial socialization, and community contexts. A self-described womanist, Dr. Hope is committed to wellness and excellence for disenfranchised groups. Dr. Hope received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Smith College and her PhD in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan. Following graduate school, Dr. Hope completed post-doctoral research (sponsored by the William T. Grant Foundation) in Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago.

Recent Publications:
1. Hope, E.C., & Bañales, J. (2019). Black early adolescent critical reflection of inequitable sociopolitical conditions: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Adolescent Research, 34, 167-200. doi: 10.1177/0743558418756360

2. Hope, E.C., Gugwor, R., Riddick, K., & Pender, K. (2019). Engaged against the machine: Institutional and cultural racial discrimination and racial identity as predictors of activism orientation among Black youth. American Journal of Community Psychology, 63, 61-72. doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12303

3. Pender, K.N., Hope, E.C., & Riddick, K.N. (2019). Queering Black activism: Exploring the relationship between racial identity and Black activist orientation among Black LGTBQ youth. Journal of Community Psychology, 47, 529-543. doi: 10.1002/jcop.22136

4. Hope, E.C., Velez, G., Offidani-Bertrand, C., Keels, M., & Durkee, M. (2018). Political activism and mental health among Black and Latinx college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24, 26-39. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000144