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.





Professional Goals
I will begin serving as a Teaching Fellow in UChicago’s Division of Social Sciences beginning Fall 2026. This position allows me to gain further experience to pursue my ultimate goal: a teaching-focused position. I believe these roles uniquely combine my passion for research, teaching, and mentorship.

Publications
My work has been published in Child Development and the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology . I have presented my work at scholarly conferences such as the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and the Cognitive Development Society (CDS).
Mentorship
Mentoring of undergraduate students is a passion of mine. I have mentored at least 10 undergraduate students during my time in graduate school. Several have gone on to research-focused positions such as lab management, while others have gone on to Psy-D and Ph.D. programs.
Teaching
I believe teaching is a critical skill in academic, one that I strive to constantly improve. I served as an adjunct faculty member at Elmhurst University teaching Child Development. Additionally, I won the Dewey Prize Lectureship at UChicago, allowing me the opportunity to develop and teach my own course on the topic of gender stereotypes and biases.
Community Outreach
I believe our research is only as important as those who read it. We must strive to share our findings as widely as possible. I have implemented this in my own career by frequently volunteering to speak to audiences of high school students and science museums.