Valerie P. Bambha, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Bambha studies contextual influences on play in early childhood, with the ultimate goal of designing play-based interventions for foundational academic skills that are effective for children with varying abilities and interest levels. She is particularly interested in how play preferences, available play materials, and parental scaffolding shape the effectiveness of playful learning. Her projects at the Children’s Learning Institute focus on variations in children’s STEM play and how that play can be impacted by parental input.
Education
Dr. Bambha received her bachelor’s degree in Psychological Science with a minor in Linguistics from William & Mary in 2019. She completed her PhD in Developmental Psychology at Cornell University in 2023 under the direction of Dr. Marianella Casasola.
