Newsmaker: Klaus Libertus

Noteworthy: Libertus won the Ritvo Innovation in Autism Research Award from the International Society for Autism Research and Alan B. Slifka Foundation. Libertus will receive $25,000 for a year of research on early motor skill development in infants with a family history of autism.

Age: 36

Residence: Greenfield

Occupation: Research scientist and nontenured professor at University of Pittsburgh's Learning, Research and Development Center

Family: Wife, Melissa; two children, ages 3 and 6.

Education: Bachelor's degree in cognitive science from University of Osnabruck in Germany; Ph.D. in psychology from Duke University.

Background: A native of Diberach, Germany, Libertus moved to the United States in 2004 to pursue graduate work at Duke University. He completed post-doctoral work at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore before arriving at University of Pittsburgh about three years ago.

Quote: “In families who have a history of autism, we want to observe the motor development of infants to see if they are behind in any of these skills and their trajectory of development very early on. It has the potential to be a very important study because we allow families from anywhere in the U.S. to participate in face-to-face observation.“