Icy Zhang

Icy Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Learning Sciences Area at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's School of Education. Her research focuses on cognitive and developmental processes underlying STEM learning, emphasizing practical instructional applications. She holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from UCLA (2024), along with M.S. (2021) and dual B.A. degrees in Psychology & Economics (2019) from UCLA. Her work integrates theories with real-world education through projects like CourseKata, an innovative online statistics textbook.

Research Interests:

• Embodied Cognition
• Data Science Education
• Educational Technology
• Developmental Learning Mechanisms
• Gesture & Spatial Reasoning

Key Awards:

• Millard Madsen Distinguished Dissertation Award (2024)
• Nellie McKay Fellowship (2027-2028)
• UCLA Excellence in Educational Innovation (2024)
• Multiple Fellowships including Charles F. Scott (2022–2024)

Her lab focuses on translating cognitive science principles into scalable educational tools, particularly using embodied strategies to enhance abstract concept learning in statistics and data science. Current projects explore gesture-based instruction, dynamic visualizations, and cross-cultural implementation of embodied pedagogies.