Ivan Hernandez
Ivan A. Hernandez
Assistant Professor
Pronouns: he/him/his
Contact Information
Office: 47-23D
Phone: 805-756-5705
Email: iherna93@calpoly.edu
Education/Training
· Postdoctoral Research Scholar, San Diego State University
· Ph.D., Social Psychology, Northwestern University
· M.S., Social Psychology, Northwestern University
· B.A., Psychological Science, California State University San Marcos
Courses Taught
· Multicultural Psychology
· Advanced Social Psychology
Research Interests
My research examines the processes through which people’s identities and motivations are influenced by the messages they receive from the environments they navigate about their culture, background, and lived experiences. For example, I conduct fundamental and applied research to study the environmental affordances that can either inhibit or support psychological experiences of identity integration, well-being, and motivation as students navigate academic institutions. Then, I translate knowledge gained from research to action by developing resources designed to promote equitable learning environments. Across different areas of research, my work deliberately centers on the experiences of students from historically marginalized and minoritized backgrounds. Through my research, I aim to advance equity and inclusion in higher education.
Selected Publications/Professional Activities
· Hernandez, I. A., Mota Segura, O., Romero Gonzalez, R., Flores, L., Villodas, M. T., Sohl, C. D., Smith, J. L., & Thoman, D. B., (2024). The making of future scientists: Faculty mentor cultural awareness and inclusive science labs. CBE – Life Sciences Education, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-01-0032
· Silverman, D. M., Hernandez, I. A., Schneider, M., Ryan, R. M., Kalil, A., & Destin, M. (2024). Economic mobility and parents’ opportunity hoarding. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(37). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2407230121
· Thoman, D. B., Smith, J. L., Hernandez, I. A., Sohl, C., & Villodas, M. (2024). Undergraduate research data crucial to equity. Science, 384, 747.
· Hernandez, I. A., Smith, J. L., Villodas, M. T., & Thoman, D. B. (2023). Creating an inclusive research lab with student onboarding materials. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2(4), 197–198. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-023-00163-2
· Silverman, D. M., Rosario, R. J., Hernandez, I. A., & Destin, M. (2023). The ongoing development of strength-based approaches to people who hold marginalized identities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 27(3), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/10888683221145243
· Hernandez, I. A., Silverman, D. M., & Destin, M. (2021). From deficit to benefit: Highlighting lower SES students’ background-specific strengths reinforces their academic persistence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104080
· Destin, M. & Hernandez, I. A. (2021). The pathways intervention as a model to design broader systems of equitable student support. In G. M. Walton & A. J. Crum (Eds.), Handbook of wise interventions: How social psychology can help people change (pp. 148–165). The Guilford Press.