Each year, Forbes Magazine lists the top 30 people under the age of 30 who have reached notable success in their chosen field. Elika Bergelson, a research assistant professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) at the University of Rochester, was selected for the 2015 list of “30 Under 30” in Science in the Jan. 19 issue of Forbes.
“I feel very lucky to be chosen as one of the ‘30 under 30’ this year,” said Bergelson. “The other scientists on this list are deep thinkers and amazing innovators, and it’s an honor to be ranked among them.”
Bergelson was recently granted one of the National Institute of Health’s Early Independence Awards, which will provide $250,000 per year for the next five years towards her research. Her focus is on the development of language in infants, and she studies how babies ages 6 months to 18 months learn words from the visual, social, and linguistic world around them.
“Elika is an extremely bright and creative young cognitive scientist who is tackling an ambitious project,” said Greg DeAngelis, George Eastman Professor and chair of BCS. “I’m delighted to see that Forbes has acknowledged Elika’s accomplishments, and she has a bright future ahead of her.”
In her study, Bergelson expects to follow around 48 different infants for one year through the SEEDLingS Project, part of the Rochester Baby Lab at the University of Rochester.
Research at the Baby Lab relies upon the many area families who volunteer to participate in research studies. Parents who are interested can sign up for the Baby Lab here, or specifically for Dr. Bergelson’s SEEDLingS project by emailing seedlings@rochester.edu.
