Congratulations to Yale Psychology faculty member Julia Leonard, who has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 American Psychological Association (APA) Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions to Psychology in the area of Developmental Psychology.
Julia’s research examines the factors that support children’s approach to learning and their capacity to learn. She investigates how children allocate effort, what motivates their persistence, and how early environments shape learning outcomes, integrating methods from cognitive science, developmental psychology, and neuroscience.
Created in 1974, the APA Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions to Psychology recognizes “excellent psychologists who are at early stages of their research careers.” For more information, see the APA’s page here.