Paula Tallal

Paula Tallal received her Ph.D. from Cambridge University and held academic appointments at Johns Hopkins and UCSD School of Medicine before being recruited to Rutgers University where she co-founded the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience. While at Rutgers University she held the University’s highest academic rank, Board of Governors Professor of Neuroscience. Tallal is currently on the faculty at The Salk Institute for Biological studies. For over 40 years, Dr. Tallal has led NIH and NSF funded multidisciplinary research teams and published over 250 papers on the neurobiological basis of speech, language and reading development and disorders. She was selected by the Library of Congress to be the Commentator for the Field of Psychology at its Bicentennial Celebration. In 1996, Tallal co-founded the Scientific Learning Corporation (SCIL), a neuroscience company dedicated to developing and delivering ‘smart technologies’ broadly aimed at improving cognitive, linguistic and academic outcomes. She is the co-inventor on dozens of patents and won the Thomas Alvin Edison Patent Award for her innovative research leading to the development of the Fast ForWord® series of neuroeducational training programs.