Elizabeth M. Brannon

Elizabeth M. Brannon is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Chair in the Natural Sciences and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on the evolution and development of numerical cognition, exploring how humans and nonhuman animals process quantitative information through behavioral, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological methods. She investigates how innate number sense influences mathematical learning and applies this to educational neuroscience.

Education: BA in Biological Anthropology (University of Pennsylvania), MA and PhD in Psychology (Columbia University). She teaches courses in Developmental Psychology (PSYC 181) and advanced seminars (PSYC 480).

Her work at the Developing Minds Lab integrates behavioral studies with neurobiological tools to trace cognitive and neural changes in mathematical thinking across ages. Current projects explore interventions to enhance math skills using foundational number sense training. Notable advisees include Chuyan Qu, who secured a Western Postdoctoral Fellowship. Recent accolades include NIH-funded research and student recognitions such as Phi Beta Kappa inductions.