Natasha Kirkham

Natasha Kirkham is Professor of Developmental Psychology at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, School of Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London. She serves as President-Elect of the International Congress of Infant Studies. Her research focuses on the development of selective attention in infants and preschool children, examining statistical regularities in perceptual environments, attention mechanisms, executive functions, and impacts of environmental factors like noise on cognitive development.

Dr. Kirkham's educational background includes extensive training in developmental psychology and cognitive science. Her research employs diverse methodologies including corneal reflection eye-tracking, habituation/dishabituation paradigms, executive function tasks, and fNIRS recordings. Recent work investigates how home environments influence attentional development.

Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on cognitive development across contexts, with recent articles examining pandemic impacts on infant development, noise effects in classrooms, and novel remote research methodologies. Her work integrates developmental psychology with education and neuroscience perspectives.

Awards and Honors:

• President-Elect, International Congress of Infant Studies (ICIS)

Dr. Kirkham leads research on child development and cognitive processes, advising graduate students and collaborating internationally. She directs laboratory research at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, coordinating projects on visual statistical learning, attention reliability, and cognitive development across diverse populations.