At the University of Washington, Kristina Olson established the Social Cognitive Development Lab to primarily explore three areas of research: the development of bias, children’s responses to inequality, and how children reason about social groups. Most recently, Olson developed the TransYouth Project to examine gender development and well-being among participants (between the ages of 3 and 12 when they joined the study and are being followed for 20 years). Heretofore, more than 300 transgender children have participated (living in 45 U.S. states). Initial findings from the TransYouth Project have shown that children who have socially transitioned to the gender they identify with (e.g., by adopting a new name, new clothing, etc) firmly embrace their gender, as much as children who identify as the gender they were born with. Among Olson’s recognitions are the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the National Science Foundation Alan T. Waterman Award, and the Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformational Early Career Contributions (from the Association for Psychological Science), and an early career award from the International Social Cognition Network. Her research has been supported by the NSF, NICHD, and the Arcus Foundation. Finally, Olson serves on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America LGBTQ National Advisory Council, and has served as an advisor for The Exploratorium (San Francisco).
Kristina Olson has become the leading voice for the social and developmental psychological processes involving gender nonconforming children. In addition to more than 50 papers published in top academic outlets and nearly 70 invited talks, she has authored public writing pieces in outlets such as Scientific American, Slate, and an op-ed piece in the LA Times. Her scholarship has received mention in top outlets such as Science, The New York Times, NPR Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, NBC News, Huffington Post, and 60 Minutes.
