�����鶹��Ʒ

Gabriel “Joey” Merrin, assistant professor of human development and family science in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected as the inaugural Syracuse Association of Zeta Psi Endowed Faculty Fellow.

The fellowship was established with a gift from the Syracuse Association of Zeta Psi under the umbrella of the Forever Orange Faculty Excellence Program and matched by the University to create a $1 million endowment. The five-year, renewable appointment is intended to support faculty members whose scholarly work focuses on men’s mental health and related issues.

“We believe the most meaningful investments in mental health are those that begin early and produce measurable impact across a lifetime,” says Stanley P. Gorski Jr. ’86, president of the Syracuse Association of Zeta Psi and executive director of ZP Gamma Foundation. “By strengthening prevention efforts early on, Dr. Merrin’s work helps build resilience that can change long-term outcomes—especially for those men who face the highest suicide risk later in life. This fellowship supports hard research that aims to not just respond to the crisis, but to reduce it before it begins. The SU alumni brothers of Zeta Psi Fraternity are pleased to be part of this long-term partnership.”

A prevention scientist and applied developmental methodologist, Merrin examines how risk and protective processes interact to shape adolescent development and the transition to young adulthood. His research looks at the influence of individual, peer, family, school and community contexts on developmental pathways related to harassment, victimization, mental health and risk behaviors including substance use and aggression. His work explores how distinct adverse childhood experiences differentially shape peer relationships, mental health and resilience, informing more effective prevention strategies for diverse youth populations.

“I’m deeply honored to be selected as the inaugural Zeta Psi Endowed Faculty Fellow,” Merrin says. “This fellowship will enable me to expand my research on adolescent and young adult mental health during a time when young people’s mental health issues are at historic highs. The support will enable me to develop a new undergraduate course on mental health across the lifespan, launch a longitudinal study of mental health and help-seeking behaviors among college students, and strengthen partnerships with community organizations. I’m grateful for the support to expand research that can make a positive impact on the lives of young people and their communities.”

Merrin is director of the Methodology, Adolescent Development, and Prevention (MAP) Lab, which addresses critical questions about healthy adolescent development. His work employs sophisticated longitudinal analytical approaches to understand when and for whom developmental processes differ, and how empirical findings can be effectively translated into prevention and intervention efforts. The MAP Lab has produced 14 student-led peer-reviewed publications.

Merrin was co-investigator and lead methodologist on a National Institute of Justice-funded multi-site investigation examining bias-based harassment and its prevention in U.S. schools. He has also developed innovative methodological tools, including the CATAcode R package, which advances principled approaches to demographic measurement and analysis in social science research.

Merrin serves on the board of directors at Elmcrest Children’s Center in Syracuse and collaborates with schools and community organizations serving vulnerable youth.

He earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology, an M.E.D. in human resource development and a B.A. in sociology, all from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He joined the Syracuse faculty in 2021.