Ece Demir-Lira

Ece Demir-Lira is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa. Her research focuses on developmental cognitive neuroscience, examining how socioeconomic status, parental input, and early brain injuries influence children's cognitive and language development. She is affiliated with the Developmental Psychopathology and Developmental Science research groups.

• Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Chicago (2009)

Her work explores brain plasticity in typical and atypical development, with a particular emphasis on preterm infants and the impact of environmental factors on neural structures. She utilizes neuroimaging techniques and behavioral assessments to study these phenomena.

Recent publications highlight her investigations into gesture-speech integration, socioeconomic disparities in cognition, and the neural correlates of math attitudes. She also contributes methodological expertise in longitudinal data analysis through her involvement with the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

Demir-Lira leads the Development, Experience, and Neurocognition (DEN) Lab, which investigates how early experiences shape brain development and cognitive outcomes. Her research bridges psychology, neuroscience, and education to inform interventions for at-risk populations.