Checking in with the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent

When we think about young adulthood, opportunity might not be what comes to mind first. However, the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent encourages this perspective. According to emerging neuroscience, adolescence - spanning roughly ages 10 to 25 - presents significant opportunities for learning and development that have impacts throughout adulthood.

For example, many people don't realize that teenagers are naturally motivated to take risks and try potentially scary new things, and this plays a crucial role in helping them learn new skills and make the transition from dependence to increased agency over their own lives.

Adolescents are tuned in to social trends and feedback from others in ways that help them figure out who they want to be and how they can contribute to the world. They have also been shown to adapt to and learn from uncertain environments more quickly than younger children or adults.

These qualities make the adolescent years a critical window of development, an empowering perspective the CDA is dedicated to promoting.

"The mission of the center is to help people understand and embrace the idea that adolescence is actually a time of tremendous opportunity," said Andrew Fuligni, CDA co-executive director and professor of psychology and psychiatry. "Adolescence is a dynamic period that is shaped by the intersection of biology, environment and culture. After early childhood, it is perhaps the most formative time of our development."

Since its founding in 2015 at UC Berkeley, the CDA has made a significant impact in reshaping how adolescence is viewed and supported. In 2021, the center moved to UCLA, where Fuligni and co-executive director Adriana Galván have continued to lead groundbreaking work that influences education, juvenile justice and public health.

Earlier this year, Massachusetts, which became the first state to eliminate life sentences without parole for individuals aged 18 to 20, cited Galván's research on adolescent brain development. This legal reform shows how the CDA's research directly informs policy, shaping systems that recognize the unique developmental needs of this age group.

Fuligni's interest in adolescence began during his freshman year of college, when he served as a teaching assistant at a maximum-security youth facility. There, he witnessed firsthand the disconnect between existing systems for adolescents and their actual needs. This experience sparked a lifelong commitment to improving youth outcomes.

Galván, dean of undergraduate education and professor of psychology, shares this vision.

"If we truly want to prepare young people to be healthy, contributing members of society with a strong sense of self, adolescence is a critical time to intervene," she said. "If the center fulfills its mission, we will see a greater investment - at the federal, systemic and educational levels - in young people."

Beyond legal reform, the CDA has helped shape how schools and educational policymakers address adolescent needs. The center also supports the National Scientific Council on Adolescence, whose reports offer evidence-based recommendations for creating environments where adolescents can thrive both academically and emotionally. These resources inform curriculum design, mental health support and school climate initiatives across the country.

Community engagement is also important to the CDA's mission. The center works directly with young people through initiatives like its Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence, a platform for high school and undergraduate students to learn about developmental science and share their perspectives with researchers and others working in this area. This youth-centered approach ensures that the CDA's initiatives are not only research-driven, but also reflective of the real needs and aspirations of adolescents.

One of the CDA's newest tools, STEPS for Youth, offers a science-based self-assessment for policymakers and youth-serving organizations. This curated tool helps ensure that programs, discussions and policies are effective and inclusive, sparking new conversations and ideas to better serve adolescents. The center's outreach efforts also include the "Adaptivity: The Science of Adolescence" podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl, the founding director of CDA at UC Berkeley. "Adaptivity" translates the latest research into accessible content for the public, further broadening understanding of this critical life stage.

"I really don't think there's any other center in the country that is doing exactly the work that we are doing," said Elise Brumbach, CDA policy and practice director, who was a diplomat and a lawyer before joining the team. "When I saw a position at the center open up, it was so clear that this was where I should be, and I am grateful for the opportunity to try to impact and improve systems for young people at a large scale."

Since its inception, the CDA has drawn support from major foundations such as the Bezos Family Foundation, Stuart Foundation, Spring Point Partners, Funders for Adolescence Science Translation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation - partnerships that enable the center to amplify its work and ensure its research informs national conversations.

As the research, policy impact and public engagement of the CDA deepen to best shape a future where adolescents are supported, empowered and positioned for lifelong success, the team is careful never to lose sight of who inspires them all.

"One of the things that I love the most about my job is that we get to work not only with researchers but also directly with young people," said Meghan Forder, CDA communications director. "Adolescents are interesting, engaged, passionate and insightful. The heart of our work at CDA is to make sure everyone knows what an exciting time adolescence really is."

Tags: psychology | research | behavior | public policy