Jessica Mercer Young, principal research scientist at EDC, is a developmental psychologist, early childhood expert, and co-leader of EDC’s successful Young Mathematics program. She leads a body of work centered on promoting interest, knowledge, and positive mindsets in STEM. She designs and studies learning experiences that power up STEM engagement at home, in school, and in communities through math games, formal and informal science partnerships, science media, and computational thinking.

A frequent presenter and widely published author, Young shares her findings with teachers, researchers, and families. She is a steering committee member of the National Alliance for Family Math. She holds a PhD in Applied Developmental Psychology from Boston College and an EdM in Human Development from Harvard.