Nicole Gardner-Neblett, PhD, is a ZERO TO THREE Fellow. She is currently an Advanced Research Scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Her research focuses on investigating factors that promote children’s language and literacy development. This focus includes studying the design and implementation of professional development programs for early childhood professionals to promote infant and toddler language and communication development. She has co-authored More Than Baby Talk, a guide for early childhood professionals on research-based practices to promote language and communication skills among infants and toddlers. In addition, Dr. Gardner-Neblett studies the language and literacy development of African American children, with an emphasis on identifying the linguistic strengths of African American children and the implications for educational practices. Dr. Gardner-Neblett’s work has been published in refereed outlets, including Developmental Psychology, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Child Development Perspectives, and the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. Before joining UNC, Dr. Gardner-Neblett worked as a Society for Research in Child Development Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, where she designed and monitored national research and evaluation projects aimed at promoting child well-being. Dr. Gardner-Neblett holds a Ph.D. and MA in Developmental Psychology from The University of Michigan and a Sc.B. in Psychology from Brown University.
