Blake Colaianne
Director, Learn to Flourish Hub
Colaianne's research interests include adolescent development and human flourishing, with a particular focus on how mindfulness, compassion, and social connection support well-being.
- Human flourishing in adolescence and emerging adulthood, with an emphasis on mindfulness, compassion, and social connection/relationality
- School-based prevention, including the development, implementation, and evaluation of curricula and programs that promote flourishing in education
- Self-Determination Theory and contemplative science
- School-based participatory and co-design research
My lab follows two interrelated lines of research. The first focuses on basic developmental science examining the psychological processes that support adolescent flourishing. In particular, I investigate the developmental antecedents of mindfulness and compassion, including the role of psychological need fulfillment and everyday experiences of social connection in supporting adolescents' social and emotional development.
The second line of research focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of school-based prevention designed to promote adolescent flourishing. Through school partnerships, I collaborate with educators and students to co-design tools and curricula.
My work is grounded in Self-Determination Theory and contemplative science, which together emphasize that flourishing develops through the interaction of individual capacities and supportive social environments. Research methods include longitudinal, experimental, mixed-methods, and community-engaged approaches.
This work is complemented by my role as the inaugural director of the Learn to Flourish Hub at Penn State, where undergraduate students collaborate to design and test evidence-based tools that promote flourishing. The Hub was established through the generous support of an endowment from Jason and Julie Borrelli.
Current Projects
Currently leading a large school–university partnership with ten high schools in the Pittsburgh region to develop and evaluate the Science of Human Connection, a new one-semester high school course designed to promote adolescent flourishing. This project includes teacher co-design and curriculum development, pilot implementation, and experimental evaluation to examine the course's effectiveness in promoting adolescents' social and emotional development and mental health.
2021-2026: Assistant Research Professor, Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University
2011-2016: High School Science Teacher, Dallastown Area School District