Flux Congress offers its warmest congratulations to Dissertation Award Winner, Felicia Hardi! Dr. Hardi’s dissertation focuses on the longitudinal association between adverse experiences, structural and functional networks, and mental health. In her dissertation, Dr. Hardi narrows in on psychopathology in younger populations, as well as the impact of stress during COVID on youth mental health and the brain.  Her motivating question? Why certain types of stressful experiences have very different outcomes on different individuals. This question is prompted by Dr. Hardi’s own experiences working with clinical populations. It is inspired by her curiosity behind individual differences in psychological symptoms, as well as variations in how individuals may respond to stressful experiences. 

Dr. Hardi’s foray into the world of neuroscience and psychology began with her Bachelor’s degree at UMichigan. A psychology major, she knew with certainty that she wanted to do meaningful work, and also that she was passionate about working with people. Research wasn’t immediately a prospect for her; as a first-generation college student, she grew up in a culture where a career in science was simply not in the cards. So when a professor suggested she apply for her M.S.W, she eagerly took up the opportunity to pursue further studies at NYU. In New York, she underwent clinical training and began to work with low income populations and individuals who were exposed to chronic trauma. Eventually, she transitioned to a research assistant position at Columbia University.

“At first, it just happened - there was an opportunity to be a lab manager,” Dr. Hardi explained her decision to pursue research. Here, she was quickly hooked - realizing that one could make sense of the world using numbers was a fascinating discovery. She learned quickly that research was the environment she wanted to be in: she wasn’t drawn just to the posing and answering of questions, but the feeling of community garnered by working together to answer important questions. This was not a feeling she had been privy to in her clinical work, which was more individualistic in nature.  “During these years, I started thinking deeply about the questions that I wanted to pursue in grad school,” Dr. Hardi admitted. 

Her interest in research grew organically, and eventually led to her completing her PhD at UMich. The transition was seamless for her, and she found research invigorating. Still, her work with clinical populations continued to influence her, and she often found herself applying her past experiences to how she interpreted her data, or selecting the constructs she wanted to test. Of her research, Dr. Hardi said: “I always try to ask myself: how will this help? Because I’ve worked with individuals, I always try to come back to that. I want to center my research around individuals who are experiencing trauma, and my ultimate goal is for my work to be useful.”

Dr. Hardi admits that there is a lot left to be learnt in her field. We still can’t fully explain individual differences in symptomatology and reactions to trauma, or their relation to brain structure and function. Undoubtedly, the field has progressed a lot - particularly in terms of imaging measures, technology advances, and brain representation. Still, so much remains to be discovered. Given that adverse early life experiences can explain 30% of global mental health issues, the field certainly warrants a lot of attention. With global mental health issues trending upwards, understanding the mechanisms that may produce them is of the utmost importance. 

As Dr. Hardi goes on to her postdoctoral career at Yale University, she has many hopes and aspirations for the future. Work she is particularly passionate about involves interdisciplinary research that integrates multiple fields and viewpoints. This includes perspectives not only from academics with different approaches, but also from clinical populations that are being studied. “I was very lucky to have a very diverse group of mentors,” Dr. Hardi said. At UMich, her dissertation committee included a sociologist, a statistician, a clinician and a neuroscientist. Dr. Hardi benefited from mentorship from each one of them, as well as her clinical background, and firmly believes in the importance of multi-faceted approaches for scientific progress.

To scientists in the making, Dr. Hardi imparts valuable advice. “I always say this to RAs and people who go to grad school: find the thing that keeps you up at night.” Many things have fuelled Dr. Hardi’s desire to research. She recalled one experience of sitting with a client who was deeply struggling: “I was thinking about that session later on at night, wondering why this person is suffering - what’s happening under the hood?” 

In essence, being curious about your experiences and your environments is Dr. Hardi’s recipe for success. She believes that there is something to learn about everything you see in life, from leaning into every situation. Additionally, Dr. Hardi firmly believes that, “There are always ways to apply your work, so that your research becomes more impactful and can be translated into real life situations.” The science that invigorates her --  and the science that wins Dissertation Awards -- is at its core, impactful science. 

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