Hi, I’m Molly!

I received my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Chicago in August 2026 where I was advised by Dr. Lin Bian. I will begin as a Teaching Fellow at UChicago in the fall teaching undergraduate seminars and Core courses. I am currently on the academic job market (2026–27) with a specific interest in working at in a liberal arts setting.

My work focuses on the development of beliefs about brilliance to address the continued underrepresentation of women across a variety of academic and industrial positions. My work posits that this pattern is driven by the combined influence of two classes of beliefs: a stereotype that associates exceptional intellectual talent with men over women (i.e., gender brilliance stereotypes), and a set of cultural beliefs that associate success in some fields and careers with brilliance (i.e., field-specific brilliance beliefs).

I am interested in how and when these beliefs develop, and addressing the early sources of these stereotypes, such as parents, teachers, and children’s media.


Prior to attending the University of Chicago, I graduated with a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry at New York University. There I also worked as lab manager at Andrei Cimpian’s Cognitive Development Lab.