Gill Francis

Consultant

Gill is a cognitive psychologist whose research intersects psychology and education. She has diverse experience researching child development topics such as the role of play for children with typical and atypical development, and the development of thinking skills in young children (e.g. scientific reasoning and executive functions). Her work has also extended to international development research that supports child development and learning opportunities for marginalized children. Some of Gill’s recent experience includes working as research associate with the EdTECH Hub at the University of Cambridge and working as a trained coder on the WorldBank’s TEACH classroom observation tool. She has also been awarded an ESRC postdoctoral research fellowship (2020/2021) with the University of York, where she will further explore the links between play, cognitive development, and genetics.