Christina Cipriano, PhD, MEd

Christina Cipriano, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology at the Yale Child Study in the Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Education Collaboratory at Yale University.

An award-winning scholar and internationally regarded expert in the science of learning, development and open science practices, Chris is the PI and Director of numerous major federal and foundation grants supporting the centering of student intersectional identities in research and practice, the development and validation of novel school-based assessments and methodologies, and foundational evidence syntheses.

Dr. Cipriano received her Ph.D. from Boston College Lynch School of Education, her Certificate in Human Rights and International Justice from Boston College Law School, her Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and undergraduate degree from Hofstra University. Honors College. Chris is a Yale Public Voices Fellow, Jack Kent Cooke Scholar, and serves on numerous national advisory boards, workgroups, and committees, including the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Understood, Teachstone, and the Frameworks Institute, among others. Dr. Cipriano has published over 100 papers, commentaries, and reports, spanning top tier journals such as Child Development and the Review of Educational Research, and media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, PBS, and Education Week.

Dr. Cipriano’s rigorous and practical cross-sector communication of science is evidenced by her work being cited in multiple bipartisan pieces of legislation supporting investments in US students and educators, countless interviews, podcasts, talks, articles, and mentions in educational media over the past decade, and the honors including the Joseph A. Zins Award for Career Contributions to Action Research (2022), National Voice of Chang in Public Education Award from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (2023), Research-to-Policy Collaboration Scholar Award from the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center (2024), and the Distinguished Contributions to Human Development Research from the American Educational Research Association (2025).

Dr. Cipriano embodies how to live your love forward and advance equity by bringing her positionality as a first-generation high school graduate and mother of four children to her science and work. Chris speaks candidly about her experiences navigating systems of discrimination and oppression in education, healthcare, and industry, and privileges her positionality as a catalyst to inspire change.

“Let’s take the moon and make it shine for everyone”.

Learn more at drchriscip.com