Paul Smolensky is the Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Cognitive Science at Johns Hopkins University. His research is focused on universal grammar and Optimality theory which includes phonology, syntax, acquisition, learnability and processing. Smolensky has been awarded the Chair Internationale de Recherche Blaise Pascal in 2008 and the David E. Rumelhart Prize for Theoretical Contributions to Cognitive Science in 2005.