Sonia Molloy, Ph.D.

Sonia Molloy has a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University and a M.A. in Psychology from Chatham University. Dr. Molloy received her Ph.D. in Human Development from Virginia Tech with a focus in family studies. After spending 10 years working with families and parents, Dr. Molloy turned to research and teaching to help the next generation of human development and social science professionals. Dr. Molloy has been awarded the 2024 Penn State Alumni Association Teaching Fellow. Professionally, Dr. Molloy serves as the secretary of the American Psychological Association Division 51: The Psychology of Men and Masculinities division and is the incoming president-elect. Dr. Molloy is additionally active in the National Council on Family Relations and has served leadership roles in the Feminist and Family Science Section and the Men in Families Focus Group.

Dr. Molloy’s primary research interests include father involvement and fathering processes, parenting prevention and intervention services, feminist family studies, masculinities, and intersectionality. Her current research projects include A Qualitative Study of Fathers of Young Children during the Pandemic, Hope in Fathering, The Paternal Involvement With Infants Scale (PIWIS), and a Content Analysis of Parenting Books. Dr. Molloy is the co-editor of the Handbook for the Psychology of Fatherhood.

Outside of the lab or classroom, you might find Dr. Molloy sitting outside enjoying nature, attending musicals, or cooking.