Barbara Gunn is a Senior Scientist at Oregon Research Institute. She received a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Oregon, and has a background in early reading instruction, curriculum development, and school-based intervention research.

Barbara led the research and development of a language and literacy program for pre-school children at risk for reading disabilities and co-authored a kindergarten reading program. She developed the Classroom Observations of Student Teacher Interactions (COSTI) observation instrument, which has been used to document effective teaching practices in reading, math, and English language instruction. Over the last 25 years she has been a principal or co-investigator on Institute of Education Sciences and National Institutes of Health funded projects. She has conducted her research in Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, and Texas schools, with a focus on the prevention and remediation of reading disabilities, English oral language development, and observations of effective instructional practices. Her current work is focused on supporting teachers with evidence-based professional development and instructional materials based on the science of reading to ensure that all their students become successful readers.