Kirsty Dunn

Dr. Kirsty Dunn is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Lancaster University, specializing in developmental psychology and prenatal cognitive research. Her work explores how the social and prenatal environment shape infant perception, cognitive development, and numeracy understanding.

• Key research areas: developmental psychology, prenatal cognition, multisensory processing, and social learning.
• Current projects: Investigating the origins of the 'achievement gap' and The Future of Human Reproduction (2023–2026).

Her recent publications focus on cross-situational word learning, fetal auditory perception, and speculative design in human reproduction. These studies emphasize environmental variability, social stimuli, and interdisciplinary methods.

• 2024: Conference papers on speculative design and prenatal numeracy; journal article on infants’ attention during word learning.
• 2021–2020: Studies on fetal origins of cognition, gaze cueing, and language learning cues.

Scientific awards include the Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellowship. She mentors PhD students in developmental psychology and collaborates with the Developmental Psychology and Future of Human Reproduction research groups.