Leslie Ungerleider facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leslie Ungerleider
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| Born | 1946 |
| Died | December 11, 2020 |
| Alma mater | B.A., Binghamton University, Ph.D. in experimental psychology, New York University, postdoctoral fellowship with Karl Pribram, Stanford University |
| Occupation | experimental psychologist and neuroscientist |
| Employer | Chief of the Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health |
| Organization | National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, Society of Experimental Psychologists |
| Known for | Introducing the concepts of the dorsal and ventral streams |
| Awards | Women in Neuroscience Lifetime Achievement Award, 2001; NIH Distinguished Investigator, 2008, William James Fellow Award, Association for Psychological Science, 2009, University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology, 2012 |
Leslie G. Ungerleider (1946–2020) was a brilliant scientist who studied the brain and how we think. She was a leading expert in experimental psychology, which means she did experiments to understand the mind. She used to be the head of a special lab called the Laboratory of Brain and Cognition at the National Institute of Mental Health.
Leslie Ungerleider is famous for discovering two important pathways in the brain. These are called the dorsal stream (the "where" pathway) and the ventral stream (the "what" pathway). These pathways help our brains process what we see. The "where" pathway helps us understand where things are in space, and the "what" pathway helps us recognize what those things are.
Her Journey in Science
Leslie Ungerleider earned her first degree (a B.A.) from Binghamton University. She then went on to get her Ph.D. in experimental psychology from New York University. After that, she did advanced training called a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. There, she worked with another famous scientist, Karl H. Pribram. This is where she started her important research on how the outer part of the brain, called the cortex, helps us understand complex things we see, especially in primates like monkeys.
In 1975, Leslie Ungerleider moved to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). This is a big research center that studies mental health. She stayed there for the rest of her career. She first joined a lab with Mortimer Mishkin, and later, in 1995, she started her own research lab.
Awards and Recognition
Leslie Ungerleider received many special awards for her amazing work. In 2001, she was given the Women in Neuroscience Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognized her incredible contributions throughout her career. In 2008, she became an NIH Distinguished Investigator, which means she was recognized as a top researcher at the National Institutes of Health.
In 2012, Leslie Ungerleider and Mortimer Mishkin won the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology. This is a very important award in the field of psychology.
She was also chosen to be a member of several important science groups. These included the National Academy of Sciences (in 2000), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (in 2000), and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (in 2001). She was also a member of the Society of Experimental Psychologists.
In 2009, she received the William James Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science. This award honored how her research helped us understand brain function and its importance for public health. It also recognized her for being an excellent teacher and mentor to younger scientists.
