ICD PhD student Isaac Bisla awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Isaac Bisla (he/him/his), a 2nd year PhD student in the Institute of Child Development (ICD), has been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. 

The NSF Fellowship program recognizes and supports outstanding students who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 and a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, as well as opportunities for international research and professional development.

Isaac Bisla’s PhD research will focus on 3- to 8-year-old children’s susceptibility to misinformation and whether epistemic vigilance—the ability to discern whether someone is trustworthy—and source monitoring supports eyewitness capabilities in young children. His research will be conducted with his advisor Dr. Melissa Koenig through her Early Language and Experience Lab. 

Isaac Bisla, who received his BA in Psychological Science at University of California, Irvine, worked with Drs. Elizabeth Cauffman and Jodi Quas on projects involving youth in the juvenile justice system and their understanding of plea deals, as well as the risk and protective factors associated with recidivism. This sparked his interest in the cognitive theories around criminal justice and he is hoping his research will inform future efforts in the juvenile justice system.

Congratulations Isaac!