Dr. Hilary Richardson

Biography

Hilary Richardson is a Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in the School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science from the University of Michigan, followed by a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was advised by Dr. Rebecca Saxe. Prior to her current role, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, working under Dr. Charles Nelson in laboratories focused on Cognitive Neuroscience. Since joining the Psychology division at the University of Edinburgh in August 2020, she has engaged in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, mentoring students in tutorials and advising dissertation projects. Her research explores the cognitive development of children, particularly how they acquire new knowledge, develop intuitive theories about their surroundings, and foster social relationships through brain development. Her work employs various methodologies, including child-friendly neuroimaging experiments, to address critical questions in social cognitive development. She is affiliated with Edinburgh Neuroscience and the Wee Science Laboratory.

Research Interests

Experience