David Liu , Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences

Educational Background

Ph. D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2005)
Area of Specialization: Developmental Psychology

B.S., Carnegie Mellon University, Psychology [honors] (1997)

Research Interests

• Theory of mind development
• Brain development and children's social cognition
• Brain bases of social learning
• Role of theory of mind in cultural transmissions
• Causal learning and conceptual change

Academic and Research Experience

2005-Present, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington

2004, Fellow, McDonnell Summer Institute In Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College

2003, Oxford Summer School on Connectionist Modelling, Oxford University

2002, ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods, Ann Arbor

2001, Fellow, John Merck Fund Summer Institute on the Biology of Developmental Disabilities in Children, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

2000, ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods, Ann Arbor

1997-1999, Research Assistant, with Jeffrey Cohn, University of Pittsburgh , and Nathan Fox, University of Maryland

Current Research Projects

• Neurophysiological substrates of theory of mind development: ERP
  studies with children
• Impact of theory of mind on formal and informal learning
• Role of explanations in conceptual change

Grants and Awards

2004-2005, Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship (the highest competitive doctoral fellowship given by the University of Michigan ), Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, University of Michigan

2004, Dissertation Research Grant, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan

2004, International Travel Grant (to attend the XXVIII International Congress of Psychology), U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Psychology (USNC/IUPsyS), National Academy of Sciences and National Science Foundation (NSF)

2000-2004, Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation (NSF)

2000, Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education (offer declined to accept the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship)

2000, Culture and Conceptual Development , Student Academic Multicultural Initiatives Grant, Office of Academic Multicultural Initiative, University of Michigan

2000, International Travel Award (for establishing research collaborations), Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing , China

1999, Travel Award (to attend the biennial meeting of the Cognitive Development Society), Child Development and Behavior Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

1997, Gretchen Goldsmith Lankford Award (for commitment to academia—first annual recipient), Carnegie Mellon University

1996-1997, Young Children's Understanding of Discounting, Research Grant, Undergraduate Research Initiative, Carnegie Mellon University

Teaching Experience

2003, Graduate Student Instructor, Analyzing Multivariate Data (graduate level statistics course), Department of Psychology, University of Michigan

2002, Graduate Student Instructor, Advance Statistical Methods (graduate level statistics course), Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.

1997, Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Psychology, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University

1996, Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Psychology, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University

Professional Activities

2005, Admissions Committee, Developmental Area, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan

2004-2005, Departmental associate, Executive Committee, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan

2003-2005, Student committee member, Institutional Review Board (IRB), University of Michigan

2001, Statistical consultant, for Janet S. McIntosh, Concepts of language among the Giriama of Kenya , Harvard University

2001, Co-organizer, Annual Conference on Culture and Cognition, University of Michigan

2000-2003, Co-chair, Developmental Psychology Brown Bag Committee, University of Michigan

Ad hoc reviewer for:

Cognition & Emotion

Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience

Social Development

Professional memberships:

American Psychological Association

American Psychological Society

Cognitive Development Society

Cognitive Neuroscience Society

Society for Research in Child Development