NVU prof awarded NIH grant to explore surprise, humor in infants

Gina Mireault, professor of psychology and chair of the Johnson Psychology and Human Services department.at Northern Vermont University, was recently awarded a research grant from the National Institutes of Health and named a Vermont State Colleges Systems Faculty Fellow for the 2022-23 academic year.

Mireault, whose research currently focuses on the perception and creation of humor in infants from 3 months to 12 months old, received a four-year, $547,156 grant from NIH's Support for Research Excellence program to fund two future studies — one on surprise in infants and the other on humor in infants.

Mireault was also named a VSCS Faculty Fellow for the 2022-23 academic year, making her one of two VSCS tenured faculty recognized for outstanding accomplishments in teaching and learning through this fellowship for next year. The fellowship includes a reduction in teaching load for one semester and a small stipend to help support work on a specific project.