For as long as she can remember, Dr. Natalie D. Hengstebeck wanted to understand why some families are happy and healthy, and others are not. She witnessed firsthand the toll that toxic stressors like alcoholism, mental illness, and chronic relationship turmoil can have on children and families, and how these negative effects can be amplified by external circumstances, like economic recession. This point of reference and firsthand experience navigating early adversity informs her work on how social context shapes child and family well-being. As a first-generation university student, she intimately understands the significance of the knowledge-making process and believe in the potential for science to improve people’s lives. Her mission is to serve as an ambassador for science, bridging the divide between science, technology, and policy to advance social equity and the well-being of children and families.
Hengstebeck is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow (STPF) at the National Science Foundation. She is a member of the strategic partnerships team within the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate/Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Division and the Convergence Accelerator team within the Office of the Director (OD)/Office of Integrative Activities (OIA). Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow for the North Carolina Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network, where she was based at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. In this role, she enhanced the use of research among North Carolina’s local, state, and federal lawmakers.
Hengstebeck earned her PhD in human development and family studies and research methodology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previously, she studied psychology; sociology; communications and media studies; and professional writing at DePaul University. In addition to working as a Fulbright research fellow in sociology and public administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, she has worked at the SAS Institute, RAND Corporation, and the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families.
Hengstebeck is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow (STPF) at the National Science Foundation. She is a member of the strategic partnerships team within the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate/Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Division and the Convergence Accelerator team within the Office of the Director (OD)/Office of Integrative Activities (OIA). Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow for the North Carolina Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network, where she was based at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. In this role, she enhanced the use of research among North Carolina’s local, state, and federal lawmakers.
Hengstebeck earned her PhD in human development and family studies and research methodology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previously, she studied psychology; sociology; communications and media studies; and professional writing at DePaul University. In addition to working as a Fulbright research fellow in sociology and public administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, she has worked at the SAS Institute, RAND Corporation, and the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families.
