Laura E Schulz

Laura E. Schulz is the John & Dorothy Wilson Professor of Cognitive Sciences in the Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences at MIT. She serves as Associate Department Head and Undergraduate Officer. Her research focuses on the cognitive foundations of early childhood learning, curiosity, and social communication. Schulz holds a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from UC Berkeley and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan.

Her work investigates how children construct causal understanding through exploration, leveraging computational models like Bayesian inference. Notable contributions include studies on infants' persistence after observing adults, children's emotional reasoning, and the interplay between inductive biases and belief revision. She has received prestigious awards including the Troland Research Award (2012) and APA's Early Career Award (2014).

Teaching spans courses like 'Infant and Early Childhood Cognition' and 'Research & Communication in Neuroscience.' Her lab operates at the Boston Children’s Museum and Museum of Science, employing methods like free-play paradigms. The lab prioritizes equity, work-life balance, and open science practices.