Philip Zelazo

Phil Zelazo (Hons. BA, McGill 1988; PhD, Yale 1993) is the Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professor at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota. Zelazo’s research has helped shape current understanding of executive function (EF) and its development, including the key roles of reflection, rule use, hierarchical complexity, mindfulness, and emotion (hot versus cool EF). He was lead developer of the EF measures for the NIH Toolbox, is currently the lead developer of the “Cognition and Executive Function” measures for the NIH Infant and Toddler Toolbox, and has designed effective interventions for promoting the healthy development of EF in childhood. The recipient of numerous honors, he is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA Div. 7), the Association for Psychological Science (APS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); a Senior Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute; a Scientific Advisor for Vroom (joinvroom.org) and Understood.org. From 2012-2014, he served as President of the Jean Piaget Society. He is editor of the two-volume Oxford Handbook of Developmental Psychology (2013). His work has been cited over 47,000 times (h-index: 98; i10-index: 190).