Sandra L. Calvert, Ph.D., is a developmental and child psychologist whose scholarship illuminates the children’s media area, including policy implications. She is currently professor of psychology at Georgetown University, an affiliated faculty member at the McCourt School of Public Policy, and the director of the Children’s Digital Media Center. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the International Communication Association, and the Association for Psychological Science.

Dr. Calvert has authored seven books and more than 100 articles and book chapters; she has also given numerous presentations at national and international conferences and meetings. Her current research, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, studies the effects of children's relationships with media characters on math skills, including the creation of an intelligent character prototype that can respond contingently to children’s performance on math problems. She has served on two committees for the National Academies: one on food marketing and obesity, and the other on protecting our children from online pornography. She also served on a task force for the American Psychological Association examining the impact of exposure to video game violence on youth aggression and given testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about the Children’s Television Act.

Dr. Calvert has served as a consultant and an advisory board member for numerous companies and organizations to improve the quality of children’s media. These include Google, LLC, Sesame Workshop, the PBS Kids Next Generation Media, Nickelodeon, Facebook, Disney, and Netflix.