Piscataway, NJ | xiangyu.tao@rutgers.edu | ORCID: 0000-0002-5555-5658 | Google Scholar
Updated September 2026
2024
Ph.D., Applied Developmental Psychology
Department of Psychology, Fordham University
Concentration: Development in the Context of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender
Dissertation: Exposure to Gendered Racial/Ethnic Discrimination, Friendships, and Mental Health among Young Women of Color
Advisor: Celia B. Fisher, Ph.D.
2017
M.A., Social Sciences
University of Chicago
Concentration: Psychology
2015
B.S., Psychology
Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle
2024–present
Postdoctoral Associate
Rutgers Addiction Research Center, Department of Psychiatry
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Mentor: Kristina M. Jackson, Ph.D.
2026–present
NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
Role: Principal Investigator
Project: Integrating AI and Co-production to Analyze Communications in Social Media Substance Use Recovery Groups (1K99DA064782)
Year 1 award amount: $139,612
2025–2026
Pilot Award
Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University
Project: Identifying Communication Patterns in Online Peer Support Groups for Substance Use Recovery: A Pilot Study
Award amount: $7,500
2021
Student Support Grant for Research
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Fordham University
Award amount: $1,500
Major Awards
2026
Junior Investigator Award
2026 RSA Scientific Annual Meeting
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
2023
Emerging Scholar Best Article Award
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
2023
Michael Sullivan Diversity Scholarship Award
Ohio Psychological Association
Fellowships, Training, and Travel Awards
2026
CPA Travel Award
Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference
American Psychological Association Division 50
2025
R13 ISBRA Conference Support Grant
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
2022–2024
Human Development and Social Justice Research Fellowship
Center for Ethics Education, Fordham University
2022–2024
Student Support Grants for Conference Travel (×3)
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Fordham University
2023
Child, Adolescent, and Family Caucus Student APA Travel Award
American Psychological Association
2023
Summer School Travel Award
Applications of Machine Learning for Measuring and Modeling Psychological Concepts via Different Methods of Communication, Sam Houston State University
2020–2021
Summer Research Assistantships (×2)
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Fordham University
2019–2024
Graduate Research Assistant
Human Development and Social Justice Lab, Fordham University, Bronx, NY
Advisor: Celia B. Fisher, Ph.D.
2021–2022
Graduate Research Assistant, Applied Developmental Psychology Practicum
Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, Technology and Translational Research Unit
National Institute on Drug Abuse, remote
Advisor: Brenda Curtis, Ph.D.
Journal Articles
1. Tao, X., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Kim, J., Colby, S. M., & Jackson, K. M. (in press). Social jetlag and alcohol use in adolescents: A random intercept cross-lagged panel analysis. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
2. Ni, Y., Jiang, L., & Tao, X. (2026). Patterns of online civic engagement, civic development, and critical online literacy: Differences in mental health among adolescents and young adults. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 107, Article 102008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2026.102008
3. Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Clement, A., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., Colby, S. M., Wray, T. B., Meisel, M. K., Lanza, S. T., & Jackson, K. M. (2026). Modeling daily digital experiences in adolescents: A multilevel latent class analysis of social media engagement patterns and exposure to alcohol-related content. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2026.2734696
4. Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Vezina, O., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., Cragin, C. A., & Jackson, K. M. (2026). Understanding the impact of living arrangements and social satisfaction on mental health and substance use in autistic young adults. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1177/25739581261474766
5. Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Estes, A., DiGioia-Laird, V., Swarbrick, M., & Jackson, K. M. (2026). Online support and co-rumination experiences among adults in substance use recovery. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 189, 210007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.josat.2026.210007
6. Linden-Carmichael, A. N., Tao, X., Shipley, J. L., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., White, H. R., Sokolovsky, A. W., Lanza, S. T., & Jackson, K. M. (2026). Day-level latent classes of alcohol and cannabis use motives: Associations by combined use, level of use, and consequences. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0001173
7. Park, Y. W., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2026). Exposure to online racial discrimination, anti-racism, antisocial risk-taking: Associations with college adjustment and health risks among Black and Latine students. Journal of American College Health, 74(4), 1123–1134. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2025.2503831
8. Park, Y. W., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2025). Profiles of antiracist and antisocial online behaviors among Asian American college Instagram users: Associations with academic adjustment and substance use. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-025-02681-6
9. Park, Y. W., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2025). Race and anti-racist online coping as moderators of college adjustment associated with exposure to social media racism among Asian, Black, and Hispanic/Latine students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54(8), 2062–2076. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-025-02177-w
10. Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2025). The role of friendship in mediating and moderating the relationship between exposure to gendered racism and mental health among young women of color. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54(5), 1281–1300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-024-02130-3
11. Fisher, C. B., Tao, X., & Ford, M. (2024). Social media: A double-edged sword for LGBTQ+ youth. Computers in Human Behavior, 156, 108194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108194
12. Tao, X., Yip, T., & Fisher, C. B. (2024). Employment, coronavirus victimization distress, and substance use disorders among Black and non-Hispanic White young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 23(2), 320–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2022.2091702
13. Tao, X., Yip, T., & Fisher, C. B. (2024). Psychological well-being and substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic: Ethnic/racial identity, discrimination, and vigilance. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 11(1), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01497-y
14. Tao, X., Liu, T., Giorgi, S., Fisher, C. B., & Curtis, B. (2023). Extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Trajectories of mental health and substance use among U.S. adults, September 2020–August 2021. Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 8, 100186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2023.100186
15. Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2023). Associations among web-based civic engagement and discrimination, web-based social support, and mental health and substance use risk among LGBT youth: Cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e46604. https://doi.org/10.2196/46604
16. Tao, X., Liu, T., Fisher, C. B., Giorgi, S., & Curtis, B. (2023). COVID-related social determinants of substance use disorder among diverse U.S. racial/ethnic groups. Social Science & Medicine, 317, 115599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115599
17. Fisher, C. B., Tao, X., & Yip, T. (2023). The effects of COVID-19 victimization distress and racial bias on mental health among AIAN, Asian, Black, and Latinx young adults. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 29(2), 119–131. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000539
18. Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2022). Exposure to social media racial discrimination and mental health among adolescents of color. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(1), 30–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01514-z
19. Tao, X., Bragard, E., & Fisher, C. B. (2021). Risks and benefits of adolescent girls’ participation in online sexting survey research. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(6), 2335–2346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02003-x
20. Azhar, S., Tao, X., Jokhakar, V., & Fisher, C. B. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to participation in long-acting injectable PrEP research trials for MSM, transgender women, and gender-nonconforming people of color. AIDS Education and Prevention, 33(6), 465–482. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2021.33.6.465
21. Fisher, C. B., Tao, X., Liu, T., Giorgi, S., & Curtis, B. (2021). COVID-related victimization, racial bias, and employment and housing disruption increase mental health risk among U.S. Asian, Black, and Latinx adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 772236. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.772236
Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings
22. Liu, T., Giorgi, S., Tao, X., Guntuku, S. C., Bellew, D., Curtis, B., & Ungar, L. (2023). Different affordances on Facebook and SMS text messaging do not impede generalization of language-based predictive models. Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, 17(1), 1153–1157. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v17i1.22226
23. Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., & Winters, K. C. (R&R). Alcohol-related disorders and other substance use disorders. In S. Goldstein & M. LeMaire (Eds.), Handbook of DSM-5 disorders in children and adolescents (2nd ed.). Springer.
24. Tao, X. (2026). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students’ well-being. In L. Tay & B. M. McCuskey (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of well-being in higher education (pp. 105–114). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780197759424.003.0011
25. Fisher, C. B., Tao, X., & Jaber, R. (2026). The Adolescent Discrimination Distress Index: Contributions and challenges in the measurement of ethnic and racial discrimination. In T. Yip (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of ethnic and racial discrimination and youth development (pp. 172–205). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009351478.009
Invited Revisions (Revise and Resubmit)
Vezina, O., Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (Manuscript under revision, Autism in Adulthood). The relationship of social media characteristics to internalizing symptoms in autistic adolescents and young adults.
Fisher, C. B., & Tao, X. (Manuscript under revision). Influence of LGBT adolescent identity processes on the association between offline and social media discrimination and mental health and substance use.
Jackson, K. M., Chen-Sankey, J., Phelan, C., Tao, X., & Metrik, J. (Manuscript under revision). Understanding cannabis messaging: Sources, content, and influence on consumer behavior.
Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Clement, A., Ravet, M., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., & Jackson, K. M. (Manuscript under revision, Health Communication). Friends, feeds, and first drinks: Peers, media, and their relation to adolescent alcohol use risk.
Swarbrick, M., Tao, X., Spagnolo, A. B., & Hien, D. (Manuscript under revision). Factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of the Wellness Inventory Short Form.
Selected Under Review
Tao, X., Liu, T., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Haber, T., Chauhan, E., Swarbrick, M., Curtis, B., & Jackson, K. M. (Manuscript under review, ACM CHI). Who Decides What a Code Means? Community-informed Qualitative Analysis in an LLM-Assisted Coding Pipeline.
Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Kim, J., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., Colby, S. M., Wray, T. B., Meisel, M. K., Lanza, S. T., & Jackson, K. M. (Manuscript under review). A multilevel latent class analysis characterizing person- and report-level alcohol-related media exposure among adolescents.
Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Vezina, O., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (Manuscript under review). Association between friends’ social media substance use messaging and alcohol risk among autistic youth.
Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., McDonald, R. G., Micalizzi, L., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (Manuscript under review). Short report: Psychometrics of the Digital Parenting Mediation Attitude Scale among autistic adolescents and young adults.
Symposia, Papers, and Talks
Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Kim, J., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., Colby, S. M., Wray, T. B., Meisel, M. K., Lanza, S. T., & Jackson, K. M. (2026, June). A multilevel latent class analysis characterizing person- and momentary-level alcohol-related media exposure among adolescents. In Short- and long-term longitudinal links between social media and alcohol use and differential implications for prevention [Symposium]. 49th Annual RSA Scientific Meeting, San Antonio, TX.
Linden-Carmichael, A. N., Tao, X., Shipley, J. L., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., White, H. R., Sokolovsky, A. W., & Jackson, K. M. (2026, June). Day-level latent classes of alcohol and cannabis use motives: Associations by level of use, combined use, and consequences [Paper presentation]. 88th Annual Scientific Meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Portland, OR.
Tao, X., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Colby, S. M., Wray, T. B., Meisel, M. K., Lanza, S. T., & Jackson, K. M. (2026, May). Daily social media use in adolescents: An exploration of alcohol content exposure through a day-level person-centered approach. In Multilevel latent class analysis for intensive longitudinal data: Examples and best practices [Symposium]. 34th Annual Meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, Washington, DC.
Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Vezina, O., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (2026, April). Association between friends’ social media substance use messaging and alcohol risk among autistic youth. In Social ecologies of substance use in young people with autism [Symposium]. Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Kansas City, MO.
Samuel, J., Jackson, K. M., Metrik, J., Pendyala, M., Lakra, A., Patel, K., & Tao, X. (2026, April). From few- to adaptive- to hyper-adaptive few-shot learning: LLM classification of a marijuana dataset [Paper presentation]. 55th Annual Conference of the Northeast Decision Sciences Institute, Philadelphia, PA.
Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Vezina, O., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (2026, April). Understanding the impact of residential status and social satisfaction on substance use and depression in autistic young adults [Paper presentation]. Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Kansas City, MO.
Micalizzi, L., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., Cragin, C. A., & Jackson, K. M. (2026, April). Parenting knowledge and rule setting around alcohol use in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder [Paper presentation]. Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Conference, Kansas City, MO.
Tao, X., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., Colby, S. M., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Kim, J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, May). Reciprocal relationships between sleep and substance use willingness among adolescents: The role of internet use. In K. Marceau (Chair), Expanding the lens: Novel investigations of genetic, bio-behavioral, and social factors in youth substance use [Symposium]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2025, April). Substance use to cope with offline and online gendered racial or ethnic discrimination among Asian, Black, and Hispanic or Latina women. In E. Wagner (Chair), Integrating underrepresented populations into substance use research: The key to informed treatment [Symposium]. Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Annual Meeting, Providence, RI.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2024, May). Gendered racism, friendships, and mental health among young women of color [Flash talk]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Fisher, C. B., Tao, X., & Ford, M. (2024, May). Social media: A double-edged sword for queer youth [Paper presentation]. 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, Washington, DC.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2024, April). Offline and online gendered racial/ethnic discrimination, friendship co-rumination, and mental health among young women of color [Paper presentation]. AI & Data Science Symposium, Bronx, NY.
Fisher, C. B., Tao, X., & Ford, M. (2024, April). Social media: A double-edged sword for LGBT youth. In C. B. Fisher (Chair), Risks and benefits of online experiences among gender- and sexually diverse teens [Symposium]. Society for Research on Adolescence Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2023, November). Exposure to offline and online gendered racism, friendships, and mental health among young women of color [Paper presentation]. Diversity Challenge Graduate Student Conference, virtual.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2023, August). Social media LGBTQ+ community engagement and mental health among LGBTQ+ adolescents. In C. B. Fisher (Chair), Psychological and sexual health among LGBTQ+ youth in online and offline contexts [Symposium]. American Psychological Association Convention, Washington, DC.
Tao, X., Liu, T., Giorgi, S., Fisher, C. B., & Curtis, B. (2023, May). Extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Trajectories of mental health among U.S. adults, September 2020–August 2021 [Flash talk]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Washington, DC.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2023, April). LGBTQ+ youth social media community engagement and mental health [Paper presentation]. Research in Progress Seminar Series, Fordham University, Bronx, NY.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2023, April). Social media community engagement, discrimination, and mental health among LGBTQ+ youth [Paper presentation]. Fordham Data Science Symposium: Doing Good with Data, Bronx, NY.
Azhar, S., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2021, January). Facilitators and barriers to long-acting injectable PrEP utilization for MSM and transgender women of color in the United States [Paper presentation]. Society for Social Work and Research Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Azhar, S., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2020, November). Injectable PrEP for MSM and transgender women of color in the United States [Paper presentation]. Sexuality & Social Work Conference, Mumbai, India.
Fisher, C. B., Tao, X., & Yip, T. (2020, October). Mental health and racial justice in the time of COVID-19 [Paper presentation]. American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Annual Conference, virtual.
Poster Presentations
Venkat, T., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Sheinkopf, S. J., Spirito, A., & Jackson, K. M. (2026, September). Associations between youth-perceived parental approval of alcohol and cannabis use and substance use among autistic youth [Poster presentation]. Rutgers Addiction Research Center Fall Symposium, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
Jackson, K. M., Vezina, O., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Spirito, A., & Sheinkopf, S. J. (2026, June). Psychosocial correlates of alcohol use and problems among autistic youth [Poster presentation]. 49th Annual RSA Scientific Meeting, San Antonio, TX.
Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Dennhardt, A., Tempchin, J., McDevitt-Murphy, M., Berlin, K., Borsari, B., Jackson, K. M., & Murphy, J. G. (2026, June). Evaluating session-timing effects on motivational interviewing treatment for alcohol use [Poster presentation]. 49th Annual RSA Scientific Meeting, San Antonio, TX.
Shipley, J. L., Tao, X., Vrotsos, K., Schnebly, T., Bray, B., & Linden-Carmichael, A. N. (2026, June). Examining protective behavioral strategies on simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use days: A multilevel latent class analysis [Poster presentation]. 88th Annual Scientific Meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Portland, OR.
Vargas, M., Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Bradley, K., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, September). Investigating underage alcohol consumption and academic performance in individuals with autism spectrum disorder [Poster presentation]. Rutgers Addiction Research Center Fall Symposium, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
Chauhan, E., Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Bradley, K., Spirito, A., Cragin, C. A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, September). Marijuana use in autistic youth is associated with anxiety, depression, and emotion dysregulation [Poster presentation]. Rutgers Addiction Research Center Fall Symposium, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
Pusuloori, B., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Bradley, K., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, September). Association between family functioning and lifetime cannabis use among autistic adults [Poster presentation]. Rutgers Addiction Research Center Fall Symposium, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
Landell, T., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Bradley, K., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, September). Intoxication and intimacy: The role of alcohol in sexual behavior among autistic young adults [Poster presentation]. Rutgers Addiction Research Center Fall Symposium, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
Tao, X., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Colby, S. M., Wray, T. B., Meisel, M. K., Lanza, S. T., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, June). Associations between multilevel latent classes of daily social media activities and media exposure to alcohol consequences among adolescents [Poster presentation]. 48th Annual RSA Scientific Meeting/ISBRA Congress, New Orleans, LA.
Jackson, K. M., Spirito, A., Cragin, C. A., Bradley, K., Harris, T., Smith, R., Kowal-Safron, C., Vezina, O., Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., & Sheinkopf, S. J. (2025, June). First experiences with alcohol: The role of functioning in a sample of youth with autism spectrum disorder [Poster presentation]. 48th Annual RSA Scientific Meeting/ISBRA Congress, New Orleans, LA.
Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Micalizzi, L., Tao, X., Cragin, C. A., Bradley, K., Harris, T., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, June). Alcohol use milestones and reported parental rules and monitoring among adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder [Poster presentation]. 48th Annual RSA Scientific Meeting/ISBRA Congress, New Orleans, LA.
Wydra, N., Clement, A., Tao, X., Janssen, T., Gabrielli, J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, June). Examining associations between adolescent digital risk behaviors and youth outcomes using a mixed latent class/profile analysis [Poster presentation]. Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Conference, Chicago, IL.
Park, Y. W., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2025, June). Examining how coping with racism and race shape the relationship between online discrimination and education [Poster presentation]. Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Charleston, SC.
Tao, X., Phelan, C., Samuel, J., Metrik, J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, June). AI-driven analysis of therapeutic cannabis discourse on Reddit: Innovations and challenges in a hybrid natural language processing approach [Poster presentation]. Rutgers Health Symposium in Biomedical Informatics and Health AI, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
Park, Y. W., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2025, May). Examining how coping with racism and race shape the relationship between online discrimination and education [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Vezina, O., Smith, B., Bradley, K., Cragin, C. A., Sheinkopf, S. J., Spirito, A., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, May). Association between friends’ social media substance use messaging and substance use among autistic youth [Poster presentation]. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Lewin, K., Roxas, S., Wydra, N., Clement, A., White, C., Tao, X., Janssen, T., Jackson, K. M., & Gabrielli, J. (2025, April). Identifying risk classes of adolescent digital risk behaviors using a mixed latent class/profile analysis [Poster presentation]. College of Public Health and Health Professions Research Days, Gainesville, FL.
Harris, T., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Tao, X., Vezina, O., Smith, B., Kowal-Safron, C., Bradley, K., Cragin, C. A., Sheinkopf, S. J., Jackson, K. M., & Spirito, A. (2025, April). Understanding links between anxiety, depression, and substance use in young adults with autism [Poster presentation]. Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction Annual Meeting, Providence, RI.
Vargas, M., Landell, T., Pusuloori, B., Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Cragin, C. A., Spirito, A., Sheinkopf, S. J., & Jackson, K. M. (2025, April). Exploring the role of parental monitoring in marijuana use among youth with autism spectrum disorder [Poster presentation]. Training in Addiction Research Program Annual Symposium, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ. Best Student Poster Award.
Vezina, O., Tao, X., Contreras-Pérez, M. E., Harris, T., Smith, R., Bradley, K., Cragin, C. A., Sheinkopf, S. J., Jackson, K. M., & Spirito, A. (2025, April). Is independent living associated with anxiety and depressed mood in young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder? [Poster presentation]. Anxiety & Depression Association of America Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Fisher, C. B., & Tao, X. (2024, April). Influence of LGBT adolescent identity processes on the association between offline and social media discrimination and mental health and substance use [Poster presentation]. Society for Research on Adolescence Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Brown, K., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2024, April). “I’m proud of who I am”: Finding strength against gendered racism [Poster presentation]. Fordham College at Rose Hill Undergraduate Research Symposium, Bronx, NY.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2023, April). Racial justice civic engagement online, online discrimination, mental health, and substance use among BIPOC youth: The role of ethnic/racial identity commitment [Poster presentation]. Society for Research on Adolescence Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
Paradise, D., Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2023, April). Mental health disparities among transgender youth: The impact of personal and vicarious offline discrimination [Poster presentation]. Fordham College at Rose Hill Undergraduate Research Symposium, Bronx, NY.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2022, August). Psychometric properties of the coronavirus racial bias scale among youth of color [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association Convention, Minneapolis, MN.
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2022, March). Social media use, social media racial/ethnic discrimination, and mental health among BIPOC adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic [Poster presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, virtual.
Tao, X., Bragard, E., & Fisher, C. B. (2021, August). Risks and benefits of adolescent girls’ participation in online sexting survey research [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association Convention, virtual.
Fisher, C. B., Tao, X., & Yip, T. (2021, August). The effect of coronavirus victimization distress and coronavirus racial bias on mental health among AIAN, Asian, Black, and Latinx young adults [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association Convention, virtual.
Tao, X., Yip, T., & Fisher, C. B. (2021, July). Substance use among Black and non-Hispanic White adults during the pandemic [Poster presentation]. 6th Biennial American Psychological Association Division 45 Research Conference, virtual.
Tao, X. (2018, August). Rethinking alcohol consumption and marital quality among older adults: Three propensity score analyses [Poster presentation]. 4th International Forum on Marriage and Family Therapy, Hangzhou, China.
Editorial Service
2026–present
Editorial Board Member
BMC Public Health
As of September 2026
Ad Hoc Reviewer
46 completed reviews, including:
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Journal of Medical Internet Research
BMC Public Health
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Child Development
Journal of Research on Adolescence
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Nature Mental Health
Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies
Psychological Methods
JAMA Network Open
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse
Substance Use & Misuse
Committee and Professional Service
2026
Conference Planning Committee Member
Resilience Collective Conference: Advancing Health Equity in Addiction Research in Challenging Times, Rutgers University
2023–2024
Student Committee Member, Executive Committee
Applied Developmental Psychology Department, Fordham University
2022–2023
Student Committee Member
Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race
2023
Student Volunteer
APA Division 45 Awards Committee; American Psychological Association Convention
2022–2023
Student Committee Member, Faculty Search Committee
Applied Developmental Psychology Department, Fordham University
2022–2023
Student Volunteer
Culture, Race, Ethnicity, Accessible Treatment Repository for Evidence-Based Practice (C.R.E.A.T.E.) Project
2025
Co-Instructor, Foundations of Statistical Analysis and Research Communication
10-week Research Assistant Training Series, Rutgers Addiction Research Center
Co-instructor: María E. Contreras-Pérez, Ph.D.
Spring 2024
Co-Instructor, Ethics in Research
Department of Psychology, Fordham University
Co-instructor: Steven Swartzer, Ph.D.
Spring 2022
Laboratory Instructor, Statistics
Department of Psychology, Fordham University
2020–2021
Laboratory Instructor, Research Methods
Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Fall 2021
Department of Psychology, Fordham University
2019–2022
Laboratory Instructor, Foundations of Psychology
Fall 2019, Spring and Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Spring 2022
Department of Psychology, Fordham University
Summer 2026–present
Graduate Research Co-Advisor, Rutgers University
Co-advisor for Ayse Sert Oti (M.S., Public Informatics) on CannaMind, a research project applying natural language processing to Reddit posts to characterize cannabis-related lived experiences and build structured metadata for public health research.
2023–present
Student Research Mentor, Fordham University and Rutgers University
Mentored or co-mentored 10 student researchers at Fordham and Rutgers on projects addressing social media, substance use, autism, and underrepresented youth mental health. Supported 10+ conference presentations, including a 2025 Best Student Poster Award. With María Eugenia Contreras-Pérez, co-mentored two student-led manuscripts: one under revision at Autism in Adulthood and one in preparation.
Mentees: K. Brown, E. Chauhan, T. Haber, T. Harris, T. Landell, D. Paradise, B. Pusuloori, M. Vargas, T. Venkat, and O. Vezina.
Statistical and programming: R, Mplus, Python, SPSS, Stata, Excel, and Dedoose
Languages: Mandarin Chinese and English (native proficiency)
• American Psychological Association
• College on Problems of Drug Dependence
• International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism
• Research Society on Alcohol
• Society for Research on Adolescence
• Society for Research in Child Development
“Rutgers Hosts Inaugural Conference Aimed at Advancing Health Equity Addiction Research.” Rutgers Today, June 2026. Link
“Grad Student Studies Impact of Social Media Discrimination on Adolescents of Color.” Fordham News, February 2022. Link
“IRBs Scrutinizing Recruitment of Adolescents via Social Media.” Medical Ethics Advisor, October 2021, 37(10), 117–132. Coverage of 2021 research with C. B. Fisher.