Description of Research Expertise

Julia Parish-Morris, PhD is Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Scientist at the Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Using techniques such as computational linguistics, immersive virtual reality, and infrared eye tracking, Dr. Parish-Morris' research program employs advanced technologies to explore the intersection of language and social cognition in children with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, with a special focus on sex differences. Her long-term research goals are to identify the mechanisms that underlie real-world conversation challenges across the lifespan, chart relationships between these challenges and functional outcomes, inform individualized supports, and contribute to early identification efforts. Dr. Parish-Morris' research program has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Autism Science Foundation, MindCORE, the National Science Foundation, the Eagles Charitable Trust, and industry sponsors. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Presidential Fellowship, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Autism Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, American Psychological Association Dissertation Award, Alavi Dabiri Award, and an Award of Excellence from the Center for Autism Research.