Brian Boyd appointed director of the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.<\/em><\/p>\n EduGator alumnus and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty member Brian Boyd\u2019s career has been propelled by several serendipitous yet cultivated connections \u2013 not only within academia but throughout his community at large.<\/span><\/p>\n According to his peers, Boyd (Ph.D.,\u201905) is an exemplary researcher and mentor; however, possibly his finest quality is the deep care he holds for the children and families his research benefits. It came as no surprise that he was recently appointed director of the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG).<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne thing about Brian is he\u2019s internationally famous, but his passion is not about being famous \u2013 it is about supporting children and families,\u201d Maureen Conroy, Ph.D.<\/a> explains. Conroy, co-director of the Anita Zucker Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Studies<\/a>, mentored Boyd as a special education doctoral candidate at UF. \u201cHis heart is an integral part of his work, and I think it shows through him as a leader in the field. You don\u2019t always see that.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Brian Boyd, Ph.D.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel very fortunate to have had him as a doctoral student \u2013 he\u2019s taught me much more than I probably ever taught him,\u201d Conroy remarks. \u201cWe\u2019re so fortunate to have him in the field again because he\u2019s the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Boyd completed his undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary before working in a preschool classroom for autistic children where a UNC doctoral candidate was conducting education research. Watching the Ph.D. student craft the research program and interact with children and families sparked Boyd\u2019s interest in going to graduate school himself.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was really seeing it hands-on \u2013 the connection between direct work with children and families, but also how you shape a research agenda around that work,\u201d shares Boyd, who hadn\u2019t considered academia as a career path prior. \u201cIt allowed me to see a meaningful connection between those two things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It was while he was studying for his master\u2019s degree at the University of Virginia that he first connected with Conroy at UF. \u201cShe was doing this innovative, exciting research around children with autism. It just felt like a good place to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt the time, my plan was to go teach for a few years in the public school system after I got my master\u2019s degree at UVA,\u201d Boyd explains. \u201cBut I connected with Maureen and ended up going straight from my masters degree into the doctoral program instead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n