Our work centers on three main goals:
- Mapping development: We study how neural, neurovascular, and behavioral development unfold over time.
- Understanding differences: We explore how the brain supports individual differences in social, emotional, and cognitive development.
- Accounting for early experiences: We investigate how early environments shape brain and cognitive development.
We use a variety of tools—including behavioral assessments, neuroimaging, eye tracking, and biospecimen collection—to build a comprehensive picture of early development. This combination of approaches allows us to ask questions about how children learn and grow and to work toward discoveries that can make a meaningful difference in children’s lives.
Current projects
Exploring the impacts of prematurity on brain development. This is a longitudinal study charting neural and neurovascular development over the first few weeks of life. Funding source: NICHD K99/R00 award
Exploring the impacts of early environments on brain and behavioral development. Projects will use the large nationwide HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study to ask and answer questions related to early development. HBCD is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.