Dr Elaine Shannon Barry is a developmental psychologist, esteemed academic, researcher and educator whose career has covered several areas of human development, emphasizing the cognitive development of children. Dr Barry is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State Fayette.

Among Dr Barry's research expertise are understanding "normal" infant sleep and maternal and infant behavior. Her current research focuses on maternal-infant co-evolved shared sleep, known as co-sleeping.

Dr Barry has presented at numerous national and international conferences and published in many prestigious peer-reviewed journals, including Clinical Psychology Review and Cognitive Therapy and Research, and more recently, Infant Behavior and Development, Journal of Genetic Psychology, and Psychological Reports. She is an in-demand expert on issues relating to child development, parenthood and families.

Dr Barry, whose career has spanned over 20 years, has received several awards for her work, including the University of Houston's Teaching Excellence Award for Teaching Fellow and Penn State's prestigious Atherton Teaching Award, among others.