Alyssa Clark entered the Ph.D. program in Fall 2019 and successfully defended her dissertation in June. She is dedicated to the study of adult romantic relationships, with a focus on LGBTQ+ relationships, physical behaviors, and relationship satisfaction and maintenance, with the goal of promoting healthy and positive relationship experiences. She conducts primarily mixed-methods and qualitative research based on these interests with her doctoral advisor, Dr. Eva Lefkowitz in the DASH lab. Alyssa has also collaborated on projects in the SHINE lab, under the mentorship of Dr. Ryan Watson and Dr. Kay Simon, studying asexual teens’ mental health and school experiences, in addition to the perceptions adult MSM have about how PrEP usage impacts sexual freedom.
Alyssa’s dissertation focused on adults’ sexual and affectionate behaviors in the context of romantic partner relationships. She collected original data to write three papers using both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Overall, results from these papers highlight that adults’ sexual and affectionate behaviors within romantic relationships have similar individual and relational correlates. These results advance our understanding of what factors matter for adults’ physical behaviors and how these behaviors are associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction. They also suggest how clinicians might address physical behaviors and satisfaction in adults’ romantic relationships.
In addition to conducting research while at UConn, Alyssa has also had the privilege of mentoring and teaching students in several HDFS courses, including Infancy Through Adolescence and Family Interaction Processes.
Alyssa is excited for her next professional steps and future endeavors. This fall, she will be joining the College of Wooster’s psychology department as the Walter D. Foss Endowed Visiting Assistant Professor. She will be teaching courses in human sexuality and close relationships, and will be working with students to conduct independent research on LGBTQ+ issues and romantic relationships.
In her spare time, Alyssa enjoys distance biking, cooking, sewing, crocheting, and sharing books with her friends.