Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen

Dr. Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development & Family Science at the University of Missouri’s College of Education & Human Development. She holds the endowed Isabelle Wade Lyda and Paul C. Lyda Professorship and serves as the HDFS Undergraduate Honors Program Coordinator. She earned her PhD in Developmental Science and Cognitive Psychology from the University of Alabama in 2017. Her research focuses on enhancing school readiness and well-being in preschoolers, particularly through the lens of pretend play and its impact on executive function and socio-emotional skills.

Dr. Thibodeau-Nielsen’s work emphasizes the role of imaginative play in fostering cognitive and social-emotional development, with projects exploring how play supports resilience in adversity. Her affiliations include the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and collaborations with institutions like The Magic House Children’s Museum. She leads the Early Childhood Research Lab, which investigates play-based interventions, pandemic impacts on family dynamics, and measurement tools for imagination in children.

Her research has been funded by grants from the Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood and the John Templeton Foundation, among others. Key projects include developing the Child Imagination Scale and examining play’s role in emotion regulation through physiological studies. Dr. Thibodeau-Nielsen collaborates with scholars such as Rachel White (Hamilton College) and Francisco Palermo (University of Missouri), advancing interdisciplinary insights into early childhood development.