Yilin Wang is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston College and an Early Childhood Policy Leadership Fellow. Yilin’s research examines how social policies shape early childhood development across ecological contexts, including families, early education programs, and neighborhoods. Informed by her experiences as a first-generation college student and her work with children in rural Southwest China, rural Nepal, and public housing communities in the United States, Yilin’s research highlights the strengths and resources that economically, racially, and culturally marginalized communities draw upon to support children’s development. Her work has been published in leading developmental and family science journals, including Child Development and the Journal of Family Psychology.
Beyond her research, Yilin is committed to connecting scholarship with policy and practice. As the student representative for the Boston College Center for Child and Family Policy, she helps demystify policy career pathways and supports junior scholars interested in the field. She also serves as a leader of the Massachusetts Early Childhood Policy Research Collaborative, where she fosters collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
Her long-term goal is to translate developmental research into early childhood policies and practices that address structural disadvantage, leverage family strengths, and support children’s development while mentoring the next generation of equity-focused scholars in applied developmental science.