Esther Calzada, Ph.D.

Professor

Incoming Chair of Psychology
School of Science & Engineering
Woman with dark hair smiling at the camera outdoors.

Education & Affiliations

B.A., Duke University
Ph.D., University of Florida

Biography

Dr. Calzada is a clinical child psychologist with expertise in parenting and early childhood development in Latinx and other minoritized families. She has a strong commitment to scientific equity, working to both elucidate and counter systemic injustices (e.g., discrimination) that undermine healthy development, and recognize and leverage factors that promote (e.g., ethnic identity) the well-being of young children. Ultimately, her program of research aims to reduce disparities in academic achievement, behavior problems, and socio-emotional problems through family- and school-based interventions.  She serves on the Governing Council for the Society for Research in Child Development.

Dr. Calzada is currently accepting graduate students.

 

Selected Publications

Vega, W, & Calzada, E.J. (2022). Rebooting education: A keystone to ending racial and ethnic minority health disparities. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health. https://oxfordre.com/publichealth/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190632366.001.0001/acrefore-9780190632366-e-435.

Calzada, E.J., Huang, K.Y., Sevillano, L., Ursache, A., & Kim, N. (2024). Early social emotional competencies as predictors of internalizing problems in Latinx children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 91, 1 - 12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2023.101615

Calzada, E.J., Sevillano, L., Huang, K.Y., & Barajas-Gonzalez, R.G. (2025). Examining the academic achievement of Latinx students from an early lifespan and intersectional perspective. Journal of Latinos and Education, 24, 200 - 220. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2024.2370842

Calzada, E.J., Partovi, R., Roche, K., & White, R.M. (2025). Pathways linking ethnic marginalization to Latino/a youth’s academic success via depressive symptoms. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.

Calzada, E.J., Castro, Y., Hicks, E., Salinas, E., & Bearman, S.K. (2026). Parental views of higher education among later-generation, marginalized Latinx parents. Journal of Educational Psychology. DOI:10.1037/edu0000988