Paola is a psychologist with experience both as a practitioner and researcher. Her previous work has been driven by the goal of applying evidence to the betterment of childhood and education services. Before moving to the UK, Paola worked in the Ministry of Education of Peru, generating evidence to inform national policies on the quality of early childhood education services and socio-emotional learning within school communities. Prior to this, she worked as a researcher assessing early childhood development in Andean communities, and the quality of parent – infant interactions in urban settings. She has experience in project organisation, capacity building, and the use of playful research methods.
Paola graduated with a BA in Psychology from Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and holds an MA in Psychotherapy from Complutense University (Madrid), and a Diploma on Childhood policies and programmes. With a recently obtained MSc in Infancy and Early Childhood Development at UCL’s Institute of Child Health, she brings a developmental, educational, and social perspective to her research.