Dr. Elizabeth Kensinger is a distinguished leader in cognitive neuroscience specializing in the intricate relationship between emotion and memory across the human lifespan. She currently serves as Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College, where she has established herself as a leading authority since joining the faculty in 2006. Dr. Kensinger earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Biology from Harvard University before completing her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her academic journey continued with a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, laying the foundation for her influential research career examining how emotional content shapes memory processes.
Dr. Kensinger's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of how emotional experiences influence memory formation and retrieval, with her work demonstrating that personally significant events are remembered with greater vividness yet may contain specific inaccuracies. As author of the influential book 'Emotional Memory Across the Adult Lifespan' and co-author of 'Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory,' she has defined key paradigms in the field that have been cited over 25,550 times according to Google Scholar. Her laboratory has pioneered approaches combining behavioral testing with brain imaging to identify the neural mechanisms underlying emotional memory, revealing how the amygdala and other brain regions interact during memory formation. This research has provided critical insights into memory phenomena relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder and normal aging processes, establishing foundational frameworks that have been adopted by researchers worldwide.
Beyond her research contributions, Dr. Kensinger has been instrumental in translating scientific findings about memory into practical applications for judicial systems, as evidenced by her involvement in initiatives to inform members of the judiciary about memory science. She has trained over 100 undergraduate students, 10 Ph.D. students, and 5 postdoctoral fellows in her laboratory, cultivating the next generation of memory researchers. Her work continues to evolve with current support from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Aging, and National Science Foundation, focusing on how memory changes across adulthood and how stress and sleep affect memory processes. As an elected member of prestigious organizations including the International Neuropsychological Symposium and Memory Disorders Research Society, she remains at the forefront of advancing our understanding of the complex interplay between emotion, cognition, and memory throughout the human lifespan.
