Principle Investigator
Emily Fyfe is the director of the LEAD Lab at Indiana University. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Her research is in cognitive development with a focus on the development of mathematics knowledge and problem solving. Her primary goal is to understand how children think and learn about math, both independently and with instructional guidance.
Graduate Students
Aaron Cecil-Xavier
Aaron Cecil-Xavier is a third-year graduate student at Indiana University-Bloomington, working to receive a PHD in developmental psychology. He is primarily interested in metacognition in the context of mathematical learning and problem-solving; more specifically, he is interested in the role that self-efficacy and perceived difficulty play in metacognitive training and how these factors influence how children and adults approach math learning. Prior to attending IUB, Aaron graduated from the university of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Psychology and a M.A. in Educational Studies with a certificate in Leading Experience Design from the University of Michigan.
Brooke Azzinnaro
Brooke Azzinnaro is a graduate student at IU in the LEAD Lab on track to receive a PHD in developmental psychology. She completed her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University in 2024. After graduating, she worked for two years as a postbac research associate at the University of Notre Dame. Her research interests lie in how parental and environmental input during early childhood shapes the development of math skills, and how community partners can help support this. In her free time, she loves to read, watch movies, and try out new coffee shops in Bloomington.
Chunxu Zong
Chunxu Zong, also known as Teddy completed their undergraduate degree in Applied Psychology (Education and Development track) at the Chinese university of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and their master's degree in Quantitative Methods at Vanderbilt University. Their research interests include math learning, individual differences, and human reasoning, with a particular interest in patterning ability. Outside of academics, they enjoy practicing jiu-jitsu and they are currently a purple belt.
Yao Xiao
Yao Xiao is a third-year grad student in Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Science at Indiana University-Bloomington. Before joining LEAD lab at IU, she graduated from Northwestern University in 2024. Yao is interested in studying abstract conceptual understanding, creative thinking, and gender differences in mathematics better and enjoy learning it more.Undergraduate Students
Claire Nettles
Claire Nettles is a sophomore undergraduate student at Indiana University majoring in biology with minors in both chemistry and psychology. Claire is working with Teddy Zong.
Jacob Smith
Jacob Smith is a senior undergraduate student at Indiana University majoring in biology on the pre-med track. He will be working closely with Aaron Cecil-Xavier on the Metacognition project.
Siri Poludasu
Siri Poludasu is a senior undergraduate student at Indiana University majoring in Human Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She will be working with Yao on the Bold Study Project.
Sofia Valdes Nunez
Sofia Valdes Nunez is a junior undergraduate student at Indiana University majoring in both Neuroscience and Biochemistry with a minor in Sociology. She is working with Yao Xiao on the ManyNumbers project.