Sarah J. Short

Lab Website

Personal Biography

Sarah Short is an Assistant Professor and the Dorothy King Chair in Educational Psychology and a faculty member for the Center for Healthy Minds at UW. She received her Ph.D. in Biological Psychology and Neuroscience from UW – Madison. Following her graduate studies, she completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

Research Interests

Inspired by a longstanding interest in the promotion of well-being and the prevention of neurodevelopmental disorders and psychiatric illness, Sarah’s early research examined prenatal influences on brain and behavioral development. This work included investigations of the bidirectional relationships between peripheral and central biological systems.

Sarah’s current research focuses on the impact of poverty on early child brain development. She has been awarded a $2.5 million National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) grant to study the link between poverty, brain development, and cognitive processes that facilitate learning, self-monitoring and decision-making in children.

Sarah is thrilled be a new member of the Educational Psychology department, where she will be moving toward her ultimate goal of conducting research that informs the design and efficacy of early interventions. Sarah’s most recent research projects have included an investigation of neural plasticity associated with cognitive training in young children and the development of a Parent-Child Mindfulness Based Training program.

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
University of North Carolina

Ph.D., Biological Psychology, Neuroscience Specialty
University of Wisconsin–Madison

B.S., Psychology and B.A., Sociology
Colorado State University