Tricia Striano

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I love my job as a college professor and researcher of infant and child development. It’s so much fun researching cognitive development in babies and children. What are babies thinking and how can we get them to tell us? As a professor, it is also great to have flexibility and freedom. I can write books and papers in the summer at the beach or maybe even grade papers at 3 am! It’s flexible and often up to you. I’m currently writing a book for Guilford Press called, “Getting Child Development Research Done!”

Working with undergraduate and Ph.D. students can be very rewarding. Do you want to go to graduate school or start a career working with children? As a PivotPlanet advisor, I will share my expertise and experience with you. What is it like to be a college professor? What are different career options you may have with a MA or PhD degree in psychology? What are some of the benefits of a career as a child development researcher or a psychology professor? If you are already in a graduate program, I may also provide tips on successfully completing your degree or writing your thesis. I will advise you how to make it in academia; what to do if you don't make it in academia; the various career paths that one can take with expertise in psychology, child development and related fields; and how to think outside of the box! I will try to convince you that my work really can be fun!

As a professor and researcher I also get to travel a great deal. I am often called upon to give talks all around the world - I’ve been to Greece, Japan, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and UK to speak about how babies and young children think, discover, and learn!

As an expert in early infant and child development, I also get to consult with companies, artists and designers as they develop products and tools for infants and children. In 2000, I founded the consulting company HowBabiesLearn.com and love to get research “out of the lab and into the living room!” We even wrote a research-based parenting guide for a children’s tablet.

I love the discovery, creativity, versatility, and flexibility of being a professor, a child development researcher, and an entrepreneur!

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I obtained my M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Emory University (Cognition & Development) and did my Habilitation at the University of Osnabrueck in Germany. I’ve authored over 100 published research papers on early infant and child development and co-authored several books, including: “Social Cognition: Development, Neuroscience, & Autism” (Wiley Press).

I enjoy meeting children and parents and working with the media to communicate research findings. Sharing research findings with the public can be very exciting. In 2012, I co-founded a non-for profit organization, the Institute for Education on Health and Research.

I worked in Leipzig, Germany for seven years and enjoy consulting with individuals considering academic positions or graduate degrees abroad. I’ve graduated several award-winning PhD students – that’s been one of the most rewarding parts of my career! As a professor, I teach classes on research methods, child development, infancy, autism, and cognitive development. I received the Sancte Crucis Award from College of the Holy Cross; the Sofja Kovalevskaja Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; and was invited to speak at Parliament and at the Einstein Foundation in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I hope to spend my sabbatical year in Rome!