Rebecca Gotlieb

Rebecca Gotlieb, Ph.D., is a human developmental psychologist and educational neuroscientist. She is an Assistant Researcher (research faculty) in the School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Dr. Gotlieb examines how literacy and social emotional functioning develop together across childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, and how educational environments can better support these interconnected processes. In particular, her research on narrative skills and meaning making reveals how young people actively shape their own cognitive, emotional, and brain development, highlighting youth as active contributors to their learning and growth.

She has served as Principal Investigator or Co-PI on several federally and foundation funded research projects. Working in close partnership with schools, educators, and community organizations, she designs and evaluates interventions while translating developmental science into practical guidance for educators, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, and families. Her work has been published in leading journals for researchers and educational practitioners and she speaks extensively on redesigning education for deep thinking and personal thriving.

Dr. Gotlieb completed her B.A. with High Honors from Dartmouth College. She earned a Ph.D. as a National Science Foundation Research Fellow in the Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education at the University of Southern California and completed post-doctoral training at UCLA.