She earned her Ph.D. in Community and Cultural Psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and completed a NIDA T32 postdoctoral fellowship at The Consultation Center, Division of Prevention and Community Research, Yale University. Dr. Thai is the primary faculty member for the Community Psychology master’s program at CCSU and she also teaches intergroup relations and introduction to psychology courses. Using ecological and mixed methods approaches, her research interests emphasizes community-based participatory research including collaborations with several community-based organizations, foundations, and the school district in New Britain, CT to examine factors related to school engagement and success. In addition, Dr. Thai is also involved in evaluation research, including a mixed-methods evaluation of an interdisciplinary team science consortium.