Lloyd D. Johnston, Ph.D.

Research Professor and Distinguished Research Scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, and principal investigator of the Youth, Education, and Society study since its inception in 1997 and of the Monitoring the Future study since its inception in 1975. A social psychologist by training, he has served as advisor to the White House, Congress, and many other national and international bodies and has conducted research on a wide range of issues, including the use of alcohol, tobacco, and various illicit drugs; institutional trust; policy evaluation; the functioning of American high schools; and, most recently, childhood obesity and the role of schools in affecting student obesity. His research interests also include international comparative studies and the application of survey research to social problems generally. Top of page

Patrick M. O'Malley, Ph.D.

Research Professor at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, and co-principal investigator of the Youth, Education, and Society study and the Monitoring the Future study. He received his Ph.D. degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1975. His publications deal with alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use and related attitudes and beliefs, as well as the effects of policies on these outcomes. His research interests include causes and consequences of adolescent obesity, drug use, drinking and driving, drug use and driving, social epidemiology of drug use, and longitudinal survey data analysis techniques. Top of page

Jorge Delva, Ph.D.

Faculty Associate at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, and co-principal investigator on the Youth, Education, and Society study. He received his Ph.D. in Social Welfare at the University of Hawaii in 1996. Among other things, his research involves assessing trends in, and the effects of, potential risk and protective factors--both individual characteristics and environmental conditions--for childhood obesity and substance use. He has a particular interest in racial and ethnic differences in both the levels and the dynamics of these problems. Top of page

Jerald G. Bachman, Ph.D.

Research Professor and Distinguished Research Scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, co-investigator on the Youth, Education, and Society study, and a principal investigator on the Monitoring the Future study since its inception in 1975. In 1965 he initiated the Youth in Transition project and has authored five books and numerous articles based on that research. His scientific publications focus on youth and social issues, and his current research interests include drug use and attitudes about drugs; the interface between substance abuse and academic achievement; other values, attitudes, and behaviors of youth; military plans and experiences; and public opinion as related to a number of other social issues. Top of page

John E. Schulenberg, Ph.D.

Research Professor at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and the Center for Human Growth and Development, Professor of Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychology, co-investigator on the Youth, Education, and Society study, and co-principal investigator on the Monitoring the Future study. He received his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University in 1987 and has been associated with the Monitoring the Future project since 1991. He has published widely on several topics concerning adolescent development and the transition to young adulthood. His recent research focuses on the etiology and prevention of alcohol and other drug use, on the link between developmental transitions and health and well-being, and on the conceptualization and analysis of developmental change. Top of page

Revathy Kumar, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor at the University of Toledo, Adjunct Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, and co-investigator on the Youth, Education, and Society study. She received her Ph.D. in Education and Psychology from the Combined Program in Education and Psychology, University of Michigan, in 1999. Her research focuses on issues related to cultural diversity among students and the role of parents, schools, and community organizations in meeting the needs of a culturally diverse student body in terms of their academic achievement, social adjustment, and emotional well-being. A second program of research involves the study of causes and consequences of problem behavior among adolescents with particular emphasis on the role of school policies and practices in dealing with these problem behaviors. Top of page