Hello! I am a first-year student working under Dr. Tamar Kushnir and Dr. Michael Tomasello. From my years as a philosophy student and elementary school teacher, I’ve become interested in early conceptions of moral obligation - emphasizing the social factors on children’s moral decision making and judgments. My hope is to conduct research that is relevant and engaging for parents and educators particularly, and plan on getting involved with groups to promote effective science communication to the broader community. In my downtime, I love tending to my plants, adding to my rock collection, and reading 19th century British satire.

I am a first-year PhD student co-advised by Dr. Tamar Kushnir and Dr. Michael Tomasello. I have spent the last several years studying causal learning and social cognition in young children, and I am excited to now conduct research at the intersection of child development, sociology, and philosophy. As a follow up to Dr. Kushnir’s past work on free will beliefs, I would like to explore children’s intuitions regarding identity and the self. Outside of the lab I really enjoy staying active and trying food from different cultures!

Zoe is a second-year PhD student working with Dr. Tamar Kushnir. She is interested in the development of moral learning and the social factors that shape children's learning. Her current research examines children's capacity to change their moral beliefs. When she is not in the lab, Zoe enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time outdoors.