Human Development and Family Sciences
Research Areas
Interdisciplinary fields such as HDFS are ideally suited to address the grand challenges and big debates that affect every citizen of our world. We have nationally and internationally renowned faculty engaged in research on child development, early care programs, systems and policy, early literacy, the relationship between poverty, development and family functioning, domestic violence and the legal system, globalization, food insecurity, stigma, health, and many other family and community related topics.
Importantly, their expertise is not just situated in lab-based research settings: instead, they work in local and global communities and bring their experiences to the classroom on a daily basis. See how we’re making a difference in the world.
News
Research from UD Assistant Professor Heather Farmer shows that purpose in life can protect cognitive function January 27, 2026 New Year’s resolutions, like drinking more water or getting more exercise, aren’t the only ways to bolster health and well-be …
Recent UD master’s graduate collaborates with a community nonprofit fighting substance use disorder January 7, 2026 Dan Sweeney has watched family members struggle with substance use and addiction, and is in recovery himself, so he knows that these wat …
Doctoral student supports youth with foster care experience, drawing on personal experience and strengths of UD’s program December 16, 2025 As a young person with experience in the foster care system, University of Delaware graduate student William Woe …