Benjamin Oosterhoff Ph.D.

Benjamin Oosterhoff, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Montana State University and the director of the Montana Positive Youth Development (PYD) Lab. Dr. Oosterhoff has dedicated his career to understanding how, why, and when children and teenagers become civically engaged, and what civic engagement means for their health, well-being, and education. He has authored numerous papers in leading academic journals on youth civic engagement and adolescent development, including American Psychologist, Behavioural Brain Research, and School Psychology Quarterly. Dr. Oosterhoff earned a B.A. in psychology and criminal justice at Michigan State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Life-Span Developmental Psychology at West Virginia University. He values scientific transparency, accessibility, and the building of credible knowledge through the Open Science Framework.