Dr. Marketa Burnett is a developmental psychologist who joined UConn as an Assistant Professor of HDFS and Africana Studies in August 2023. Marketa was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. Early on, it was clear that she was born to be a researcher because she was best known for asking her parents “Why?” fifty times a day. Marketa questioned everything then and today that same outlook continues to guide her scholarship, teaching, and mentorship as she encourages all her students to do the same.
Marketa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology & African, African American, and Diaspora Studies from UNC Chapel Hill. Importantly, she credits her time as a Ronald E. McNair scholar for introducing her to the many opportunities available to make meaningful social change through research. She would go on to complete her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at UNC Chapel Hill where she explored the psychological and contextual factors that influence Black students’ educational trajectories. At this time, she began to focus on identity development and parental socialization as protective processes that support the positive development of Black girls. With support from the Ford Foundation, she launched the I PERSIST Project (Identifying Predictors of Engagement, Resilience, Socialization, and Identity in STem) to examine the developmental mechanisms that influence Black girls’ STEM identity and persistence over time. This work has underscored the wealth of expertise among Black caregivers in which they often provide affirming, creative, and joyful learning opportunities for their daughters at home that are rarely captured by traditional measures of parental engagement. As such, Marketa utilizes strengths-based approaches in her work to center the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of both Black girls and Black caregivers.
Currently, Marketa is the Director of The Dream Collab, a research collective that prioritizes authentic and meaningful collaboration with Black families, educators, community members, and policy makers to support Black girls' thriving. The Dream Collab focuses on dreaming, broadly defined, around aspirations for healthy identity development, well-being, and academic engagement. Marketa believes that dreaming is resistance. Be sure to follow them on Instagram at @TheDreamCollab for their latest updates!
Outside of work, Marketa enjoys watching game shows (especially Jeopardy!), buying more books than she has time to read, and visiting local wineries.