Dr. Larissa Terán (she/her) is the Director of Media Research at the Institute, where she designs and carries out research studies. Larissa earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Arizona. She is a social scientist and employs a variety of quantitative research methods. With a developmental focus, her research expertise is the intersection of media content, media effects, and how it explains individuals’ identity and behaviors. Topically, she conducts research on gender, sexuality, body image, and marginalization. Her work has been published in several top-tier journals, including “Journal of Children and Media,” “Sex Roles,” and “Mass Communication and Society.”