Prof. Keil pursues cognitive science, science education, cognitive development, concepts and conceptual change. He also enjoys a lifelong interest in all aspects of sailing.
Frank Keil, former Master of Morse College, came to Yale after 21 years at Cornell University. He has been on the faculty in the Psychology department since 1998. Currently he is the Charles C. & Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Psychology and is the Chair of the department. After his BS at MIT in 1973, he went on to get his MA from Stanford in ‘75 and PhD in Psychology from University of Pennsylvania in ‘77. Professor Keil teaches an undergraduate lecture course in Developmental Psychology as well as undergraduate seminars in various topics in Cognitive Science. His recent work focuses on how children and adults grasp the causal structure of the world around them and how they cope with explanatory gaps.