Welcome!

I’m an applied developmental psychologist and a NIMH T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota.

My research lies at the intersection of developmental psychology, education, and social policy, and focuses on how caregivers and caregiving environments shape children’s learning and development across culturally and socioeconomically diverse contexts. The ultimate goal of my work is to identify levers of change that can inform policies and practices so that all children and families can thrive.

I earned a Ph.D. and M.S.Ed. in Human Development from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Outside of academia, I apprenticed in the Office of Community Services at the U.S. Administration for Children and Families and worked as a Research Associate at the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work, where I served as a program evaluator for the AdoptUSKids project.

You can reach me for conversation via email at noellems@umn.edu.

I am on the 2025-26 job market.