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National Scientific Council on the Developing Child  

Two young child hugging, sitting on grass.

Established in 2003, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (NSCDC) works to synthesize emerging and established science related to the many ways that children’s early experiences shape their developing biological systems, with implications in the moment and across the lifespan.

The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child works to synthesize emerging and established science related to the many ways that children’s early experiences shape their developing biological systems, with implications in the moment and across the lifespan.

In the early years of the NSCDC’s 20-year history, the group focused specifically on brain development, including the critical role that factors like toxic stress and serve and return interactions can play in the development of brain architecture. More recently, the NSCDC has expanded its focus to explore how early experiences shape the interconnected development of additional biological systems, including the immune, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems.  

The NSCDC brings together an interdisciplinary group of leading researchers and scientists from universities across the United States and Canada who represent a wide range of fields, including neurobiology, immunology, molecular biology, endocrinology, psychology, economics, social policy, and pediatric medicine.  

To learn more about the early history of the NSCDC, read A Decade of Science Informing Policy.  

Council Members

Former Council Members

The National Scientific Council has benefited greatly from the scholarly contributions of current and former members, many of whom continue to contribute to the field through their scholarship and outreach activities. For more on the Council’s history, see this 10-year anniversary report.

W. Thomas Boyce, MD

  • Lisa and John Pritzker Distinguished Professor of Developmental and Behavioral Health, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco

Silvia A. Bunge, PhD

  • Professor, Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley

William T. Greenough, PhD

  • Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Read a tribute to Dr. Greenough from his home institution.

Eric I. Knudsen, PhD

  • Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor Emeritus, School of Medicine, Stanford University

Betsy Lozoff, MD

  • Professor Emerita, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, Medical School, University of Michigan

Bruce S. McEwen, PhD

It is with profound sadness that we share the news that Dr. Bruce McEwen, a longtime member of the National Scientific Council, died in January 2020. McEwen’s groundbreaking research and wide-ranging knowledge have contributed enormously to the work of the Council and to the broader understanding of the effects of stress on lifelong development. He will be greatly missed.

Read a tribute to Dr. McEwen from his home institution, Rockefeller University.

Charles A. Nelson III, PhD

  • Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric Developmental Medicine Research, Boston Children’s Hospital Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School
  • Professor of Education, Harvard University

Institutional Bio

Deborah A. Phillips, PhD

  • Professor, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University

Ross A. Thompson, PhD

  • Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis
    Phil Fisher should be added: Diana Chen Professor of Early Childhood, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Director, Stanford Center on Early Childhood 

Phil Fisher

  • Diana Chen Professor of Early Childhood, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Director, Stanford Center on Early Childhood 

Former Council Contributing Members

James J. Heckman, PhD

  • The Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College, University of Chicago
  • Director, Center for the Economics of Human Development
  • Co-Director, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group

Arthur J. Rolnick, PhD

  • Senior Fellow, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota