Aprile Benner, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, has received the Mid-Career Award for Research Excellence from the Society for Research on Adolescence.
Benner's research focuses on low-income youth and young people from racial and ethnic minority groups, investigating how social contexts influence experiences of marginalization and discrimination, school transitions, and developmental outcomes during adolescence.
She earned the Mid-Career Award for her research on how multiethnic youth navigate the transition to high school and how that contributes to challenges that all students face during this time period, as well as the unique challenges faced by youth of color, particularly African American youth. Her work synthesizing research on discrimination during adolescence and investigating the physiological effects of perceived discrimination during early adolescence also gained attention from the awarding committee.
The Mid-Career Award for Research Excellence recognizes the importance of mid-career scholarship and to celebrate mid-career scholars who exemplify research excellence on any topic regarding adolescence and the transition to adulthood.
Benner has previously earned the Award for Early Career Research Contributions to Child Development from the Society for Research in Child Development in 2013. Last year, Benner earned the Faculty Research Award from the School of Human Ecology at the University of Texas at Austin and the Outstanding Graduate Teacher Award from UT.
