Shannon Heald is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the Department of Psychology and the College. She teaches in the College’s Mind sequence and classes in Psychology, including Concepts and Categories, Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods, and The Psychology of Problem-Solving. Using perspectives and methodologies from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, she is also engaged in research that examines how our past experiences and/or goals guide our attention and the effect this has on (1) what we perceive, (2) what we are able to learn, and (3) how we find solutions. She has been at the University of Chicago for over 20 years: she earned her undergraduate degree in psychology in 2002, a master's degree in social sciences in 2005, and a PhD in cognitive psychology in 2012 here. After her PhD, she completed a 6-year postdoctoral appointment at the University of Chicago, gaining further specialization in cognitive neuroscience methodology and has since worked as a professional researcher in the department through the Attention, Perception, & EXperience Lab, which is led by Dr. Howard Nusbaum. She is also an Elected Fellow of the Psychonomic Society and Open User Innovation Society.