Claudia Espinoza-Heredia
Claudia Espinoza-Heredia is from Delhi, California, and earned her BA in Cognitive Science with a Neuroscience concentration from UC Berkeley in 2018. After graduation, she worked in NYU’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, where she studied how environmental factors shape fetal brain development. She is now a PhD candidate in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab in Columbia University’s Psychology Department and expects to complete her degree in Spring 2027. Her research focuses on human cognitive development, with particular interest in how environment, experience, and culture influence early brain trajectories. Claudia deeply loves teaching and has been able to implement her teaching philosophy, which is grounded in equity and inclusion, as a graduate instructor. At Columbia, she co-founded and leads SACNAS+ at CU and serves on the board of the Students of Color Alliance. Outside work, she enjoys family and friend time and long walks with her dog, Fiona.