Susan Goldman is a distinguished professor of psychology and education, and co-director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois, Chicago. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Susan has made important theoretical and methodological contributions to the fields of text comprehension, individual differences, and education. She is also one of the founders of the field of learning sciences. Her work spans basic research, applied educational research, and computational modeling. Susan has published over 220 articles and book chapters. She has co-edited five books, including the seminal Handbook of Discourse Processes.

In addition to her research advancements, Susan has made substantial and impactful contributions through her service and mentorship. Her journal editing activities include service as associate editor for five journals, among them the Journal of Educational Psychology and our Society’s journal, Discourse Processes. She was a member of the first ST&D Governing Board in 1992, and served as Chair from 2000-2007. She was President of the International Society of the Learning Sciences (2011), is a Fellow of AERA and ST&D, and is a member of the National Academy of Education. Susan gives generously of her time as a mentor, and has a large number of former graduate students and postdocs who now serve in leadership positions in academia. One measure of her lasting impact on our Society is that her former students and postdocs have served as members of the Governing Board, conference organizers, and officers.