Charles Beekman, III

Charlie followed a winding path before entering the graduate program in the developmental area of Penn State’s Department of Psychology. After completing his undergraduate degree in psychology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, he went on to work in a group home for adults with mental health disorders. Inspired to learn more about family processes and individual emotional development, he joined a research lab at his undergraduate institution. While there, Charlie gained valuable research experience exploring children’s socio-emotional and cognitive development and had the opportunity to co-author published papers. His interests in developmental processes intensified and he chose Penn State’s program because of its fit with his research interests, opportunities for collaboration, and training in translational research.

At Penn State, Charlie was mentored by Drs. Kristin Buss and Jenae Neiderhiser. His work with Dr. Buss focused on child temperament, specifically on how profiles of temperament are associated with school outcomes. His work with Dr. Neiderhiser involved using quantitative genetic methodology to investigate the genetic and environmental influences on family constructs and their association across time. Charlie completed his doctoral training in Developmental Psychology with a Methodology focus in 2015. Following completion of a two-year post-doc at Arizona State University that explored how different genes and environments transact to influence child development, Charlie joined the Research and Evaluation Department at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. He is interested in applying developmental theory and innovative quantitative methods to relevant research questions in the arts.

We wish Charlie well in his future endeavors!