Person: Sara A. Hart

I am an interdisciplinary researcher who happens to find herself in a developmental psychology area.
My research efforts integrate theories and methods from developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, education, and behavioral genetics. Broadly, my substantive research relates to understanding how and why people differ in their cognitive development, particularly focused on reading and math development. My work is highlighted by the use of advanced methodological techniques and open science.

Most of my work to date has focused on using twin methods to understand the "nature" and "nurture" of child development. I also spend a lot of time trying to understand the direct role of environments around children, controlling for genetic predispositions. I currently have an NIH grant to create a national twin project, NatPAT, to examine the genetic and environmental influences on the co-development of reading and math skills through elementary school.

I also work in the field of meta-science, understanding how scientists do science, with a particular interest in supporting rigorous and reproducible educational and developmental science. I currently have an NIH grant to build a data repository, LDbase, to support the data storage and data access needs of scientists working in the field of learning disabilities.

Beyond my research, I am passionate about training, dissemination of research, and advocating for women and BIPOC in science. I am the PI of the Florida Learning Disabilities Research Center Engagement Core, with a mission to provide specialized training opportunities to students and postdocs, and disseminate our research to our community. I am the Co-Director of FIREFLIES, an IES funded predoctoral training grant focused on reading research. I am a co-founder and President of POWER, an association with the mission to connect, support, and advocate for women conducting research in the fields of education and child development.