Azucena Verdín, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Child Development in the Department of Human Development, Family Studies, and Counseling at Texas Woman’s University. View faculty profile.

Dr. Verdín is a founding member of the Research Circulo at the Institute of Chicanx Psychology and the Principal Investigator of the TWU Chicana/Latina Flourishing Project (C/LFP). The C/LFP pairs Latina undergraduate and graduate students with Latina mentors and examines participants’ experiences in a culturally-focused program in the context of their multiple identities and sense of belonging.

Dr. Verdín’s research has been published in international journals including Feminism & Psychology, The Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Chicana/Latina Studies, and The Arts in Psychotherapy. She currently teaches courses in lifespan development, research methods, and play and development. 

She received her Masters of Education from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from the University of North Texas. Her doctoral dissertation centered the experiences of Mexican-origin mothers navigating structural and interpersonal barriers while rearing children in the politically contested US-Mexico borderlands during a time of heightened racist and nativist policies.

Dr. Verdín’s most recent creative scholarship includes two mini-documentaries, Quinceñera Fathers (working title; in production) and Hernandez v. Texas: Across Generations (working title; pre-production). She is also the creator and co-host of the Chicana/Latina Flourishing Podcast.

Dr. Verdín currently serves on the Executive Board of Southern Sector Rising, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization committed to eradicating environmental racism in Southern Dallas.

Research interests