Biography

My earliest memories in New England were of my older brothers teaching me how to play ice hockey, motivating me to become a girls hockey coach. I am fascinated by the malleability of our memories. In particular, how do changes in physical health, mental well-being, or age influence how memories are formed, retrieved, and retained? I was inspired to study neuroscience after observing family members suffer from frontotemporal dementia, schizophrenia, and PTSD. I researched how the pandemic influenced the relationship between sleep and personal memory at Boston College’s Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory. This motivated my master’s research on the role of sleep stages in the consolidation of emotional memories across the lifespan. I am honored to join the Gates Cambridge Scholar Community. At Cambridge, in Professor Jon Simons’ laboratory, I will investigate how sleep structure and architecture influence memory precision, or how well we can remember specific details of retrieved memory representations, and how this changes as we age. A better understanding of the relationship between sleep, memory and ageing can help develop practical ways to enhance learning, memory and quality of life.

Previous Education

Boston College Psychology 2023
Boston College Neuroscience 2022

Links

http://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-maybury-10b62b178