Neuroscience of poverty

National Science Foundation, USA

Soo-Siang Lim, Ph.D is a Program Director for the Science of Learning Program in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Science Directorate at the US National Science Foundation (NSF). She also served as the Lead Program Director and Chair of the Coordinating Committee for the Science of Learning Centers (SLC) Program since 2004, when the first SLCs were established to provide intellectual, organizational and physical infrastructure for addressing large-scale, complex problems about learning in humans, other animals and machines. Related to these interests, she was a member of a NSF Task Force for Innovation in Learning and Education, and is a member of the Interagency Task Force for Arts and Human Development spearheaded by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the U.S. department of Health and Human Services. Prior to her leadership of the SLC Program, Dr. Lim served as the Cluster Leader for the six Neuroscience programs in the Biological Sciences Directorate at the NSF, and as Program Director of the Neuronal and Glial Mechanisms Program. Other previous and present responsibilities include active roles in large-scale, interdisciplinary efforts such as the Engineering Research Centers Program, the Science and Technology Centers Program, Cyberlearning and Future Learning Technologies Program, Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program, Nanoscience and Engineering Initiative, the Research Coordination Networks Program, and Smart and Connected Health Program. Prior to joining the NSF, she was an Associate Professor at Indiana University, School of Medicine, where she conducted research in cell biology and neuroscience. She received her Ph.D in Anatomy from the University of North Dakota, followed by post-doctoral training and subsequent scientist appointments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.