Academics
Areas of Study

Overview

The Ph.D. in Educational Neuroscience (PEN) Program opened its doors to the first class of Ph.D. students in Fall 2013. This is Gallaudet’s first interdisciplinary Ph.D. program, and its administrative home is the Visual Language and Visual Learning Research Center, VL2. In 2025, the program expanded to include the Certificate in Educational Neuroscience (CEN).

In our pioneering programs in Educational Neuroscience, students will learn how humans learn, with particular focus on the neuroplasticity of visually guided learning processes. While Cognitive Neuroscience includes studies of learning and higher cognitive processes across the lifespan, its sister discipline, Educational Neuroscience, includes intensive study of five core domains that are crucial in early childhood learning, including language and bilingualism, reading and literacy, math and numeracy, science and critical thinking (higher cognition), social and emotional learning, and includes study of action and visual processing.

Gallaudet University offers two levels of immersion in the field of Educational Neuroscience:

  • Ph.D. level training in PEN where students become experts in one of the world’s cutting-edge neuroimaging methods in the discipline of Cognitive Neuroscience (e.g., fNIRS, EEG, fMRI, and beyond), study Neuroethics, gain robust critical analysis and reasoning skills in science, and develop expertise in one of the core content areas of learning identified above. While becoming experts in contemporary neuroimaging and behavioral experimental science, students also learn powerful, meaningful, and principled ways that science can be translated to benefit education and society today.
  • Certificate in Educational Neuroscience: This in-person program provides graduate level training where students acquire foundational knowledge in the field of Educational Neuroscience. Taking three foundational courses and three elective courses, students will gain an understanding of the dynamic interplay between neuroscience and education. All credits are designed to potentially be completed in one academic year of full-time study, or students can complete the requirements for the Certificate in Educational Neuroscience part-time or in combination with another program of graduate-level study, allowing students to flexibly tailor their studies to transform their approach to neuroscience and education.

See individual pages below for application deadlines and requirements.

The PEN and CEN programs benefit from the Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) and its partner research and translation labs providing students with a rich experience on how science can benefit society.

Areas of Study

Graduate

Ph.D. Program in Educational Neuroscience (PEN)

The Ph.D. Program in Educational Neuroscience (PEN) was founded at Gallaudet University by Dr. Laura-Ann Petitto (Chair, PEN Steering Committee) and Dr. Melissa Herzig (Assistant Program Director, PEN). Students in...

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Certificate in Educational Neuroscience

The Certificate in Educational Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary initiative designed to provide graduate-level students with a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic interplay between neuroscience and education. This Certificate in Educational...

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Labs

Action & Brain Lab

The Action & Brain Lab (ABL), founded by Dr. Lorna Quandt, investigates how sign language impacts spatial processing and how action-related and language-related brain systems interact within the context of signed language. We also investigate the neural substrates of action perception related to visual language...

Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab (CAN)

In the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (CAN) Lab at Gallaudet University, we understand complex learning processes and improve educational outcomes for deaf and hearing children by developing flexible and implementable educational strategies based on research. We investigate the cognitive and affective processes that influence learning...

Motion Light Lab (ML2)

Motion Light Lab (ML2) is an award-winning research and development lab housed at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Our focus is on a variety of ASL-centered projects ranging from bilingual storybook apps to 3D digital avatars. Creative literature + digital technology = the ML2 formula!

Numeracy and Educational Neuroscience Lab (NENS)

NENS investigates the cognitive and neural foundations of numeracy and how the use of a visual language from birth can support the acquisition of early number skills. NENS examines how humans process exact numerical information, how children learn numbers and become proficient in arithmetical operations,...

Petitto Brain and Language Center for Neuroimaging (BL2)

The state-of-the-art Brain and Language Laboratory for Neuroimaging (BL2) was founded and is led by Dr. Laura-Ann Petitto, the Science Director and Co-Principal Investigator of the Center for Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) at Gallaudet University. The Center features one of the world’s most...

Gesture Literacy Knowledge Studio (GLKS)

Gesture Literacy Knowledge Studio (GLKS) explores gestures, focusing on how to make them a more integral part of human communication. Gestures are universal and ancient, yet their importance in communication is often overlooked. This studio uniquely examines gestural communication from the perspective of signers, investigating...

Opportunities

PEN students benefit from Gallaudet University’s local university consortium, which provides students access to courses taught in the Washington, D.C. area. PEN students also have access to a national network of more than 20 cognitive neuroscience labs throughout the world, through formal Memoranda of Understanding.

Faculty and Staff

Ilaria Berteletti

Associate Professor

Rachel Pizzie

Assistant Professor

Lorna Quandt

Associate Professor

Melissa Malzkuhn

Director, Motion Light Lab

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Educational Neuroscience

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