The Hamilton Lab at Rutgers

The Hamilton Lab had a great time at 2 outreach events last week! On Tuesday, we attended the Teen Mental Health Fair hosted by the Middlesex County 4-H Teen Ambassadors to share research and tips on healthier sleep and social media use with teens, their friends, and their families. On Thursday, we were invited to present about social media and mental health to 100+ students at Academy Charter High School in Lake Como, NJ as part of their Mental Health Symposium. We enjoyed featuring tips on how to maximize the positives of social media use by managing content and experiences online. Thanks for having us!

Our final graduating senior in the Class of 2026: Christian Nicolas! Christian originally joined the lab as a high school senior on our youth advisory board, the RISE Team. In the years since, he's completed independent research projects, helped lead and mentor the RISE Team's high schoolers, and been a major part of our lab. We are so proud of Christian and excited to see what's next for him! Swipe to read more about Christian's experience! 🎉

Up next: Gianna Duncan! Gianna joined the lab going into her senior year and quickly gained a variety of research skills through her thoughtful Aresty project and hard work on the SelfIES Study. Congratulations to Gianna! Swipe to learn more! 🧠

Our next graduating senior: Ziva Davis! Ziva has shined in her 3 years in the lab, growing as a researcher and leading lab culture initiatives. We are so proud of Ziva and excited for her next steps! Swipe to learn more! ✨️

Mehlika Ozgencil, another one of our graduating seniors, has truly been a jack of all trades in the 3 years she's been a research assistant in The Hamilton Lab. From research to engaging community outreach, Mehlika does it all! Swipe to read more about her experience and next steps after graduation! 🧠

Congratulations to Dr. Hamilton on receiving the Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence as part of the 2026 Faculty Year-End Excellence Awards today. Dr. Hamilton was one of 5 recipients honored with this award across Rutgers University in recognition of her innovative and impactful research. We are so proud of you!

Huge congratulations to Dr. Hamilton for receiving tenure! She will become an Associate Professor and was also recognized with a Faculty Excellence Award from the Board of Trustees for outstanding contributions to research! We are all so thankful to work with such an inspiring scientist and amazing mentor. Lots of appreciation as well to everyone who has been a part of the last 5 years (and beyond)!

Getting good sleep isn't about luck, it's actually in our control! Sleep Awareness Week just recently ended, but these are some tips you can try today and everyday to get better sleep. Swipe to learn 3 practical tips for how you can improve your sleep health with additional resources at the end. 😴

You can also participate in our online activity Project Sleep to learn more about the science behind sleep and steps to improve yours! Learn more in our linktree!

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples— it is an opportunity to show love for those you care about… and especially yourself!

In January, The Hamilton Lab celebrated our 5 year anniversary! Since the lab was founded in January 2021, we've worked hard to do research that matters without forgetting what is important! At our 5-year party, we celebrated all the amazing members of our team throughout the years, the connections we've made, and the research and community outreach we've gotten to do. We're excited to reach this milestone and keep working hard to make a difference in teen mental health and giving back to our communities!