Charles A. Nelson III

[5] Dr. Nelson has also focused his research efforts on the development of memory and the ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion in infants and young children.

[6] Recently, Nelson was recognized for his on-going research with infants and children at high risk for developing autism spectrum disorder.

He chaired the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Early Experience and Brain Development (funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)[10] and served on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panels that wrote From Neurons to Neighborhoods,[11] and New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research.

Nelson is a lead researcher in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, along with colleagues Nathan Fox and Charles Zeanah.

To do this, Nelson established a neuroimaging lab in Dhaka, Bangladesh where the project studies numerous cohorts below 5 years of age using methods such as EEG, fNIRS, MRI as well as behavioral measures.

[22] The data collected over the course of this study helped Nelson and his team assess how young children's differing perceptions of emotions could predict future childhood behaviors.