Vellaccio presents Striano her award. A renowned research scientist, specializing in infants’ social and cognitive development, Striano’s work focuses on the neural systems involved in processing affective states, including brain systems that might associated with autism. She was a 2004 recipient of a $1.2 million Humboldt Foundation research grant to fund her work. Widely published and frequently called upon to lecture around the world, she currently teaches at Hunter College.