Nora H. Sabelli has a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Theoretical Organic) from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina for research performed at the University of Chicago. Prior to joining SRI International 1n 2001, Dr. Sabelli was Senior Program Director for the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources, and worked on many NSF-wide and cross-agency initiatives related to education, technology and science, such as Learning and Intelligent Systems and Interagency Education Research Initiatives.
At the NSF, she focused on the support of research on the use of current scientific advances and technological opportunities to help provide quality science and mathematics education for all students. While at the NSF, Dr. Sabelli worked on education issues at the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which serves as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the Federal Government.
In addition to her directorship at the NSF, Dr. Sabelli's former positions include senior research scientist and assistant director for education at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and associate professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has authored many research publications in her field and has co-directed research theses.