Immordino-Yang, Mary Helen

Professor Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is the Director of USC CANDLE (Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education). CANDLE’s mission is to bring developmental affective neuroscience into partnership with educational innovation, and to use what is learned to guide the transformation of schools, policy, and the student and teacher experience for a healthier and more equitable society. Our research involves analyzing multi-modal data, including functional and structural neuroimaging (MRI, EEG), and psychophysiological data, from mixed-method studies of adolescent development and effective teaching. During the 2025-2026 academic year, CANDLE will be designing, developing stimuli and collecting data for an upcoming longitudinal study of adolescents’ brain and psychosocial development.