Director and lead researchers
Paul is LEGO Professor of Play in Education, Development and Learning at Cambridge University, UK. He leads a research team investigating the role of play in children’s early development. He also works as a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in the UK National Health Service. Paul's research is focussed on early child development and he has a particular interest in how we give children the best start in life, including the prevention of emotional and behavioural difficulties. Much of this work has explored the role of fathers, as well as mothers, in children’s lives and development.
Jenny is a Lecturer in Psychology and Education and her work at PEDAL focuses on investigating the role of play in children’s social development, and the rigorous development of meaningful and reliable ways to measure play. Jenny is the lead researcher on the PEDAL research strand that examines 'What is play?'.
PEDAL Researchers
Stephen Bayley is a PEDAL Affiliate and a Research Associate with the REAL Centre, University of Cambridge. His doctoral research focused on education for adaptability and how children in low-income settings develop skills like creativity and problem solving. He also holds a Masters in International Education and Development from the University of Sussex and previously worked as an Education Adviser and Project Manager on programmes in Nigeria, Rwanda and Tanzania. Stephen initially qualified and practised as a lawyer and has worked with NGOs and community initiatives across Africa and Latin America.
Elizabeth works as a research associate between PEDAL and the LEGO Foundation. Her research interests focus on play-based educational interventions for children and cognitive development. Elizabeth completed her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit on the impact of cognitive enhancements such as working memory training and non-invasive brain stimulation. Elizabeth is a keen traveller and has spent time working in South Korea as a primary school teacher and completed a JSPS Fellowship at Kyoto University in Japan. Prior to joining PEDAL Elizabeth worked at the Manchester Institute of Education as a postdoctoral researcher investigating the effectiveness of a whole school intervention aimed at improving children’s academic and social outcomes.
Laura is a Research Associate working on the Healthy Start, Happy Start follow-up study within PEDAL. Her research interests are around strategies to prevent and manage behaviour difficulties without relying on systems of rewards and sanctions. Laura is also a Senior Teaching Associate on the Masters Psychology and Education thematic route. Before joining PEDAL, Laura completed her PhD with the Psychology in Education Research Centre at the University of York, exploring senior school leaders’ views on alternative approaches to behaviour management and the barriers preventing these from being more widely used in schools in England.
Zhen currently investigates parent-child play, peer play, and playful learning, and how these are related to children's cognitive, social, and emotional development and parental mental health.
Eloise works with Paul and Christine on 'Play in Early Life'. Her current research interest lies in the effectiveness of a video-feedback parenting programme (VIPP) to increase caregiver sensitivity with different populations. She is a trial co-ordinator and clinical supervisor on three different studies testing the programme’s effectiveness with foster carers and foster children, parents with personality disorders and teachers in primary schools.
Research Assistants
Allison is a Research Assistant working with Sara Baker developing a digital professional development program designed to help teachers build children’s agency through play. Before joining PEDAL, Allison received her MSc in Educational Neuroscience from UCL Institute of Education. Her past research looked at the relationship between home noise levels and infant attention and learning development.
PhD Students
Sydney is a PhD student supervised by Paul Ramchandani. She previously worked as a play therapist in the US, with experience in community mental health agencies and group private practice. Her work centers children's voices and experiences in mental health care and healing. During her doctoral research, she will be examining play therapists' experiences and perceptions of children's wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic, collective trauma, and child-centered play therapy.
Chika Ezeugwu is a PhD candidate funded by the LEGO-Cambridge Scholarship at the University of Cambridge. Chika's scientific interests focus on integrating neuroscience, cognition, child development, and education to improve educational practise and experience of children from a low-income context. Chika studied applied psychology (BSc) at Adekunle Ajasin University and joined the Master’s programme in Psychology and Education at the University of Cambridge in 2019. Prior to Cambridge, Chika has worked on policy and strategy projects as a research assistant at Lagos Business School, Nigeria. Chika loves to PLAY and would love to see play-based educational interventions for children's scientific exploration in Africa.
Emily is a PhD student working with Jenny Gibson and Paul Ramchandani. Her work uses data from the ChiRPP study to examine children's communication with their peers during play, exploring how children make decisions together about the ongoing play, and to consider how this communication may be related to characteristics of the children.
Read Emily's latest piece for the 'Z to A of Play' series here.
Kelsey is a PhD student supervised by Prof Paul Ramchandani and Dr. Christine O’Farrelly. Having worked in hospitals both in the US and the UK and with a background in psychology, her research interests are at the intersection of children’s physical and mental health. During her doctoral studies, she will explore the role of play in healthcare, with a specific interest in the impact of play for children with chronic or severe illness.
Before coming to PEDAL, I completed a Masters Degree in International Education Policy at Harvard University. During my PhD I will explore how play-based parent interventions and home visiting programs can promote a range of child outcomes including, EF and self-regulation and look at the ways that we can improve the design, delivery, and conceptualization of these interventions across contexts. I’m excited to be a part of this incredible team and look forward to this next chapter.
Tilly is a PhD student and Research Assistant working within the Play in Early Life Research Group. Tilly is working with Paul to develop a professional development Summer School in play for researchers and educators. She is also involved in engagement and outreach activities sharing PEDAL work and activity.
Krishna is a PhD student supervised by Paul Ramchandani. Her research will be examining parent-child playfulness, and its importance in child outcomes. She will also be exploring parent-child relationships through play in India.
Carolyn is a PhD student supervised by Sara Baker and Pablo Torres. She is interested in working with teachers as they explore playful learning and student agency in their classrooms. Her current research examines play and classroom talk, and how these are related to children's cognitive development.
Stephanie is a PhD student working with Dr Jenny Gibson from PEDAL and Prof Nidhi Singal from REAL. Her PhD project looks at a participatory research approach to understanding autistic children’s experience of playful interventions in South Africa.
Domnick Okullo is a PhD student supervised by Sarah and Pauline. His research interest is in the use of play-based pedagogies in Early Childhood Education.
Paulina is a PhD student supervised by Paul Ramchandani. Her career as a clinical paediatrician and medical anthropologist, has focussed on improving the holistic outcomes of children’s health and the human rights of hospitalised children. Her previous research explored the profound impact of ‘Play’ on sick-children’s development, learning and healthcare experiences. The objectives of her doctoral research are to carefully understand and evaluate children’s perspectives of ‘Specialised Play’ in paediatric-healthcare-settings and discover ‘how’ and ‘why’ it has the potential to transform a child’s hospital experience, as well as the potential benefits for their developmental-wellbeing.
Emma is a PhD student supervised by Dr Jenny Gibson. Broadly her PhD focuses on how autistic play and its role in autism assessment can be reframed towards a strengths-based approach. As part of this, Emma is currently working on an interview-based study of autistic perspectives and experiences of play.
Yanwen is a PhD student supervised by Prof Paul Ramchandani and Dr Zhen Rao in PEDAL. Her PhD project explores the relation between pretend play and counterfactual reasoning from a temporal perspective to understand how children make sense of the past to prepare for the future.
Vicky is a PhD student working with Dr Jenny Gibson from PEDAL and Dr Ben Alcott from REAL. Her PhD project looks at the relation between communication disorders and psychosocial adversities, and how play can be an effective intervention to promote children’s social and emotional skills. Her research interests cut across psychology and sociology of education. She is particularly interested in how different social, economic and psychological factors intertwine with each other in promoting children’s educational achievement and life outcomes in both developed and developing contexts.
