Ph.D. in Educational Psychology & Individual Differences Alumna Maryam Hussain, is currently working as a post-doctoral research fellow for the Asian American Studies Center (AASC) in the University of Houston, College of Education (UH COE). Her work in AASC has molded her research topics and interests, subsequently focusing her research on second-generation Asian immigrants and how immigrant American identity affects their daily lives.

Specifically, Hussain’s research focuses on Asian Americans, the ‘newest wave’ of immigrants to the US. Not much is known about how the children of these immigrants develop a sense of who they are and the challenges they face, and there is often a conflict between parents’ country of origin or heritage and the American culture in which these children are growing up. These issues can lead to poor academic achievement and can affect mental health. “Working in the college has helped me shape my research interests,” said Hussain. “There is a need to build bridges between psychology, education, and policy. Some of the research underway in the college addresses some of those issues, and it has motivated me to address those gaps within my own research.”

In her work for AASC, Hussain promotes the Asian American Studies minor and plans events supporting the ideals of the Center, such as succeeding in the 21^st century global economy. And in a collaboration with post-doctoral fellow Amanda Rolle, she has developed and teaches Cultural Competency and Globalization in an effort to bring more awareness to the importance of understanding Asian cultures competing in a global economy.

Once she completes her current research, Hussain plans to work on examining how the development of immigrant American identity impacts socio-emotional, academic, and mental health outcomes of Asian college students.