Dr. Rachel Flynn awarded the CHSS Excellence in Scholarship Award 2026

Rachel Flynn, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Child & Adolescent Development, has been awarded the CHSS Excellence in Scholarship Award for her support of student-initiated research that evolves beyond the requirements for a degree.

Dr. Flynn is a developmental psychologist whose research centers on media and technology’s impact on children. Studying media's impact on children's physical, social, and cognitive development is particularly relevant for understanding the rapidly changing social and cultural environments in which children live. She was recognized for her research through several dissertation research grants and an early career award from the American Educational Research Association and Society for Research in Child Development and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on video games effects on children’s development. Her current research explores Virtual Reality (VR) to promote cognition and physical activity for youth in partnership with researchers in SF State’s Kinesiology Department and how to create developmentally appropriate Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy for children. 

Dr. Flynn also has over a decade of experience working directly with children and families in schools, communities, and youth development programs. Her direct service work with children has centered on creating safe and inclusive learning environments and teaching adults how to adapt for individual needs and to proactively and positively manage challenging behaviors. These experiences shape her teaching, research, and service to the community. Before joining SFSU, Rachel was a Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University and a postdoc fellow at New York University.