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Jillian Lauer

Jillian Lauer

University Assistant Professor

Qualifications

Memberships/Professional Bodies

Personal profile

Dr. Jillian Lauer is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge Dr. Lauer directs the Cambridge University Development & Learning Lab teaches and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students in Psychology & Education and serves as the Route Coordinator for the MPhil in Psychology & Education.

Biography

Dr. Lauer completed their doctoral training in psychology at Emory University where they studied the development of spatial mathematical and social cognition between infancy and early adulthood. After receiving their PhD in 2019 Dr. Lauer was awarded a three-year postdoctoral fellowship from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to study the development and consequences of children’s gender stereotypes at New York University. Dr. Lauer then joined the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge for Lent Term 2023. At Cambridge Dr. Lauer directs the Cambridge University Development & Learning Lab a research team that investigates the psychological origins of social and educational inequalities. Details of the lab’s current work are available at cambridgedevelopmentlab.com.

Undergraduate

  •  Dissertation (Education), Supervisor
  •  Dissertation (Psychological & Behavioural Sciences), Supervisor
  •  Learning & Human Development, Lecturer
  •  Play, Creativity, & Imagination, Lecturer
  •  Dissertation Literature Review, Lecturer
  •  BPS Accreditation Coordinator

Postgraduate

  •  PhD, Supervisor, Advisor, Examiner
  •  EdD, Supervisor, Advisor, Examiner
  •  MPhil (Psychology & Education), Lecturer in Advanced Topics in Data Analysis, Social Cognitive Development, Methods
  •  MPhil (Psychology & Education), Route coordinator
  •  MPhil (Psychology & Education), Supervisor

Prospective PhD Applicants

Dr. Lauer is accepting PhD applications for 2026/2027 entry. PhD applicants are expected to have completed (or be in the process of completing) an MPhil in psychology at the time of PhD application.

Dr. Lauer will consider all PhD applicants whose research proposals align with the CUDL Lab's current research directions (see Current Research Projects below), focusing on cognitive and social-cognitive development in children aged 0 to 12 years. Dr. Lauer is not able to meet with potential applicants or provide input on proposals before a formal application is received, to ensure equity amongst applicants. Applicants do not need to contact Dr. Lauer before naming them as a prospective supervisor in the application.

  •  A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Development of Gender Differences in Maths Attitudes
  •  Cross-Cultural Similarities and Differences in Spatial and Mathematical Reasoning 
  •  The Origins of Intersectional Stereotypes about Competence & Warmth
  •  The Development & Consequences of Children's Emerging Beliefs about Social-Status Hierarchies