Brendesha Tynes, PhD

Dr. Brendesha Tynes is Dean’s Professor of Educational Equity and a professor of Education and Psychology at the USC Rossier School of Education. Her research focuses on youth experiences with digital media, and how they are associated with academic and socio-emotional outcomes. She is also interested in equity in digital literacy, which includes empowering uses of digital tools for underrepresented youth. She is currently principal investigator on three primary projects: The Teen Life Online and in Schools Project (TLOS), the E-Cope Project, and the Digital Equity Project.

Tynes has published widely, including in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Cyberpsychology & Behavior, the Journal of Adolescent Health and Developmental Psychology. She has also been cited in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and Woman’s Day. She is the co-editor of the Handbook of African American Psychology and associate editor of the American Educational Research Journal. Tynes also teaches courses on lifespan development, African American child development and new media literacy.

Tynes is a former high school history and global studies teacher. Before her current position at USC Rossier, Tynes held assistant and associate professor positions in African American Studies, Educational Psychology and Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has also been a research fellow in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at Harvard University. She earned a B.A. in History from Columbia University, an M.A. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Psychology from UCLA.