Don't be afraid to try, break the mold, and advocate for your needs.”
Apoorva Shivaram (she/her)
PhD Candidate in the Department of Psychology (Cognitive) & Ad Hoc MS in Applied Statistics
Apoorva Shivaram is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She is also pursuing an ad hoc MS degree in Applied Statistics. Her research examines questions related to uncovering our earliest cognitive abilities, understanding what we learn over the first few years of life, and how we can make children better learners. Apoorva was awarded an Incoming Cognitive Science Fellowship in the 2018-19 academic year.
How would you describe your research and/or work to a non-academic audience?
My research examines the cognitive mechanisms that underlie human learning processes. Specifically, I’m interested in what we learn over the first few years of life and what factors facilitate or hinder learning. My dissertation examines how infants and children learn analogies and the factors that influence this cognitive ability. Understanding these factors will help us create better learning environments for people of all ages.
What is the biggest potential impact or implication of your work?
Analogies are everywhere. Whether it is a teacher using a familiar concept to teach students about a new one, a person trying to understand a metaphor, or someone else trying to come up with a new idea, analogies are central to thinking and learning. Understanding the factors that can help generate analogies has tremendous implications for everyone across all walks of life. Personally, I would like to use the knowledge I've gained and created to construct better education systems for children all over the world.
What inspires you?
I grew up in an educational system that, on paper, looks great. It has challenging curricula and high standards for students, but a significant portion is focused on memorization (at least when I was growing up). I wondered whether there was a better way to learn that also introduced the joy of learning to children. It took me nearly 20 years, but in graduate school, I experienced that joy of learning for myself. In addition, I also became aware of how much research is out there that demonstrates that learning can be fun. I'm continually inspired by the work of my colleagues, both at Northwestern and beyond, and motivated to make learning easier and fun for people of all ages!
How would your closest friends describe you?
I couldn't answer this question myself, so I surveyed my closest friends (like a true scientist). Here is a summary of their responses: "A practical problem solver who is caring and always willing to listen and help (but almost to a fault). She's driven and ambitious and derives great pleasure from diving deep into a topic and exploring all aspects of it. She constantly strives to be the best version of herself and navigates through conflicts with deliberate and intentional listening. Although she continually gives herself new challenges to resolve and skills to learn, she also knows when to let her hair down." (I'm assuming they mean metaphorically!)
What advice would you give your younger self or someone considering a similar path?
Don't be afraid to try, break the mold, and advocate for your needs. I grew up in India, and my family is comprised of engineers and bankers. My mom was the first woman in my family to earn an Engineering degree, so it was a given that I'd follow in her footsteps and pursue a career in Engineering. When I first thought that I wanted to study Psychology (a pretty bold move, some would say), I was too afraid to voice it. When I finally built up the courage, nearly two years later, my decision was met with warmth and encouragement from my family. I'm quite proud to say that I'll be the first person to obtain a PhD in my family! That said, this advice also echoes through the rest of my career. Trying new things taught me what I loved to do, but also what I'd rather never do ever again!
Tell us about a current achievement or something you're working on that excites you.
Since the start of 2023, I have been interning with three companies that each do incredible work Across these internships, I’ve worked in partnership with students, patients, schools, and companies and this has enabled me to gain new research skills, hands-on 'real world' experience, and new networking connections. For the first half of the year, I've been an intern with LXD Research, conducting efficacy research for educational technology companies that are building evidence to show their products will meet their users' desired outcomes. As of May, I also started two other part-time internships: One seeks to build a functional support group for people with chronic health conditions who are from minority and vulnerable demographic groups by co-creating with the community. The other internship leverages data science to predict how a literacy-focused EdTech product predicts student achievement outcomes.
Tell us about a time when things did not go as you planned, what did you learn?
My research is predominantly conducted by bringing babies and children into our lab on the Evanston campus. When COVID hit, like a lot of other folks, I kept thinking it was a two-week problem. When two weeks turned into six months, along with my adviser, I decided that it was time to start conducting our studies online. Until COVID, collecting data online was an occurrence in infant cognition research. It was a steep learning curve, and we quickly realized that we couldn't run the same type of studies online as we did in the lab. I learned how to pivot, switch plans in a short time frame, and adopt new strategies to recruit participants. Along the way, I was able to gain important skills and forge new connections with families all across the country and the world.
Published: July 18, 2023
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