Megan Kiely Mueller | PhD, MA, BA

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• Assistant Professor
• Elizabeth Arnold Stevens Junior Professor
• Senior Fellow, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life
• Co-Director Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction

Education

• PhD, Tufts University, 2013
• MA, Tufts University , 2010
• BA, Tufts University, 2008

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Board Certifications

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Research Activities

General Research

• Human-animal interaction (HAI)
• Positive youth development
• Human-animal interaction and public policy

Selected Research Projects

• The role of companion animals in military families in promoting health and positive development

Research and Clinical Interests

• Evidence-based practice in human-animal interaction (HAI)
• HAI in promoting mental and physical health
• Empirical evaluation of HAI-based programs and interventions

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Selected Publications

1. Mueller MK. Human-animal interaction (HAI) as a context for positive youth development: A relational developmental systems approach to constructing HAI theory and research. Hum Dev 2014; 57: 5-25.
2. Mueller MK. Is human-animal interaction (HAI) linked to positive youth development? Initial answers. Appl Dev Sci 2014; 18: 5-16.
3. Mueller MK. The relationship between types of human-animal interaction and emotions and cognitions about animals: An exploratory study. Anthrozoos 2014; 27: 295-308.
4. Mueller MK, Phelps E, Bowers EP, Agans J, Urban JB, Lerner RM. Youth development program participation and intentional-self regulation skills: Contextual and individual bases of pathways to positive youth development. J Adolesc 2011; 34: 1115-1125.
5. Agans JP, DeSousa L, Mueller MK, Champine RB, Lerner RM. The role of neighborhood ecological assets and activity involvement in youth developmental outcomes. J Youth Adolesc 2014; doi 10.1007/s10964-014-0091-1.
6. Geldhof GJ, Bowers EP, Mueller MK, Napolitano CM, Callina KS, Lerner RM. Longitudinal analysis of a very short measure of positive youth development. J Youth Adolesc 2014; doi 10.1007/s10964-014-0093-z.
7. Napolitano CM, Callina KS, Mueller MK. Comparing alternate approaches to calculating reliability for dichotomous data: The sample case of adolescent selection, optimization, and compensation. Appl Dev Sci 2013; 17: 1-5.

Additional Information

Professional Organizations

• International Society for Anthrozoology
• Society for Research in Child Development
• Society for Research in Adolescence
• Society for the Study of Human Development