Professor Elizabeth Gershoff, PhD, is the Amy Johnson McLaughlin Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as the Director of the Population Research Center. Dr. Gershoff is a world-renowned authority on the effects of physical punishment on children, as well as the effects of family, school, neighbourhood, and policy contexts on children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation have all funded her research. She teaches courses on child development, children and public policy, and developmental contexts.