

Natalie Hiromi Brito is a developmental psychologist who examines how early social and cultural contexts shape the trajectory of neurocognitive development, with the goal of better understanding how to best support caregivers and create environments that foster healthy child development. Specifically, her work examines links between the early home environment and the development of attention, memory, and socio-emotional skills during the first three years of life. Prior to joining the NYU faculty, Dr. Brito spent two years as a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar and two years as a postdoctoral research fellow within the Division of Developmental Neuroscience at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Brito has received numerous awards for her work, including recognition from the Association for Psychological Science (Rising Star Award), NYU Steinhardt (Gabriel Carras Research Award), the International Society of Developmental Psychobiology (Kucharski Young Investigator Award) and American Psychological Association (Boyd McCandless Award). She has also been the recipient of grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NICHD/NIMH).