Jamie Jirout, Phd (CV)
​principal investigator

Jamie Jirout leads the Research in Education and Learning Lab at UVA. She is originally from Florida, and attended the University of Miami where she majored in psychology and began studying cognitive development with Dr. Daryl Greenfield. She earned her Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University under the mentorship of Dr. David Klahr. While at CMU, she developed a measure of young children's curiosity based on uncertainty preference, which she continues to use in her research today. She was trained in the Program for Interdisciplinary Education Research, and was affiliated with the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center. Jamie then joined the Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center as a postdoc working with Dr. Nora Newcombe at Temple University. While there, she worked at the Temple Infant and Child Lab to study the development of spatial reasoning skills, and how spatial learning takes place through playful activities. She continues research in these areas now as a faculty member at the University of Virginia. Jamie enjoys living in Charlottesville, VA with her family, including her three young children who provide inspiration and feedback on new research protocols and are expert research participants.

Current students and lab members


​Affiliated Faculty: Ginny Vitiello, PhD, Sharon Zumbrunn, PhD, Erik Ruzek, PhD, Angeline Lillard, PhD

PhD Graduate Students:

Natalie Hutchins
Natalie is a Virginia Education Science Training (VEST) pre-doctoral fellow in the Educational Psychology–Applied Developmental Sciences Ph.D. program. Natalie is interested in researching the development of curiosity and motivation in classrooms and, more precisely, the impact of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators on children’s learning in STEM fields. Outside research, Natalie loves to hike and play board games.

​Research Staff:
Abby Krissinger, M.Ed.
Abby is a Research Specialist from Ardmore, PA, and she just graduated from UVA with her M.Ed. in Educational Psychology- Applied Developmental Science. Before that, she earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Cognitive Science with a concentration in Linguistics at UVA. Abby has been with the REAL lab since June 2023. She is most interested in researching how external factors influence children's motivation and curiosity. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and hiking.

Katie Thomas, M.Ed.
Katie is Research Assistant from Charlottesville, Virginia. She recently graduated from UVA with a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology- Applied Developmental Science. Before attending UVA, she earned her undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Human Development from Virginia Tech. She began working in the lab in August of 2023. In her free time, Katie enjoys reading, cooking, and cycling. 

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Masters Graduate Students:

Undergraduate Students:


Ellie Hanson
Ellie (she/her) is a masters student at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts majoring in combined languages (French/ASL) and minoring in education. She will be pursuing her masters in the Art of Teaching at Clark University in 2026. 

Ploi Sripoom
Ploi is an undergraduate student ('25) from Thailand, double majoring in Youth and Social Innovation and Sociology. On grounds, she is deeply involved in the Thai Student Organization and Global Greeters. Upon graduation, she hopes to play a part in improving the education system of her home country. In her free time, Ploi enjoys watching sports, playing Badminton, and reading Thai novels!

Maddie Mattox
Maddie is a undergraduate student ('27) at UVA this year. She is studying Youth and Social Innovation and Religious Studies and started as an RA in the lab spring of her first year.

Veronica Silva
Veronica is an undergraduate student ('26) in YSI and Biology. She wants to become a pediatric dentist and enjoys working with kids. In her free time, she likes to crochet, volunteer, collect buttons, & enjoy the outdoors. 

Jadee Do
Jadee is a Cognitive Science and Sociology undergraduate student ('25) from Gilbert, Arizona. She loves working with children and hopes to develop research focused on supporting their education/learning. She is hoping to continue her education in psychology after graduation. 

Maddie Zipper
Maddie is an  undergraduate student ('27) in the Youth and Social Innovation major. She is interested in understanding diverse learning needs and developing curricula that optimally supports those needs.

Abigail Wilson
Abigail is originally from North Carolina and is currently pursuing a B.S.Ed. in Youth and Social Innovation from the School of Education and Human Development, along with a B.A. in Public Policy and Leadership from the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Abigail is deeply passionate about crafting policies that empower children to thrive both academically and personally, with a particular focus on the role of curiosity and science education in this mission. In addition to her studies, she serves as a YoungLife leader in Stanardsville, VA, is an active member of the International Justice Mission Club, and enjoys hiking and playing the violin in her free time.

Anastasia Furnari
Caroline Butz
Daphne Abrams
Estela Baka
Bianca Alinsonorin



Alumni

Past Research Staff:
Natalie Evans, Ph.D. (postdoctoral researcher)

Graduate students: 
Ryan Burke, M.Ed., Ph.D.
Sarah Payne, M.Ed.
Shihan Wang, M.Ed.
Sophie Yue, M.Ed.
Shoronda Matthews, Ph.D.
Sierra Eissen, PhD 
Jessica Scoville, M.Ed. 
Yiwei Li, M.Ed. 
Malina Carroll, M.Ed.
Sophie (Huiling) Yan, M.Ed.
Anna (MWatanna) Kalesia Barnett-Jefferson, M.Ed.
Rachel Siefring, M.Ed.
Nadine Rozzel, M.Ed.
Josh Medrano, M.Ed. 
Emily Maxfield, M.Ed. 
Karime Cameron, M.Ed. 
Tessa Boutwell, M.Ed. 
Tiffany Leones, M.Ed. 
Mckenzie Canard, M.Ed.
​
Undergraduate lab alumni: 
Sarah Oh, Sydney Klau, Juliette Amorosi, Sarah Mackey, Emma DeMartino, Tiffany Malley, Claire Watson, Jamie Kang, Olivia Little, Cait Hagan, Keara Meyerson, Sabrina Shisbey, Christian Rivera, Marlow McMullan, Meg Ritchie, Caroline Crossman, Jasmeen Dhillon, Holly Battist, Khin Kyaw, Michelle Miller, Tara Srivastava, Kelsi Jensen, Jay Huff, Kaleigh Warburton, Gracie Tillman, Maxime Pierre-Louis

Past lab coordinators: 
Jinhee Lee  
Mary Grace Britton 
​Savannah Sunvold 

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) alumni: 
Miles Arrington (Current PhD student at Penn State) 
Jamila Salim 
Juhi Nath (Current M.SW. student at Boston University) 
Iris Sanchez