Ayanna Kim Thomas

Ayanna Kim Thomas is an American scientist, author, and cognitive researcher. Dr. Thomas' research centers on the intersection of memory and aging, particularly as those fields relate to brain and cognitive science. She is the editor-in-chief of the journal Memory & Cognition.

Ayanna Thomas
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Washington
ThesisChanging belief to memory : the role of sensory enhanced imagination and semantic activation in the creation and quality of false memories (2001)

Early life

Thomas grew up in New York and attended Catholic school. She later attended Bronx High School of Science.[1]

Education and career

Ayanna Thomas received her B.A. in African American studies and Psychology from Wesleyan University in 1996 and went on to earn her PhD in Psychology from the University of Washington in 2001.[2][3] She then completed her post-doctoral work as a National Institute of Aging (NIA) Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis in 2004.[4]

Her journey to professorship began as a Research Scientist at Washington University in 2004 and transitioned to Assistant Professor at Colby College in the Department of Psychology. In 2007, Thomas became an Assistant Professor at Tufts University. In 2019, Thomas was promoted from Associate Professor to Professor at the Tufts University Department of Psychology. As of 2021, Thomas is the Dean of Research of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University.[4] Thomas is a founding member of the SPARK Society which is devoted to increasing representation in cognitive sciences for underrepresented minorities.[5]

In 2019 Thomas was named Editor-in-Chief of the journal Memory & Cognition, her term started January 1, 2020.[6][7]

Research

Thomas is known for her work in the field of psychology, memory, and cognitive aging. Over her career, Thomas has produced nearly 70 peer-reviewed publications[8] and has published in the Cambridge University Press with the 2020 release of The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging: A Life Course Perspective.[9] Her research has been covered by several organizations including I Am a Scientist,[10] National Public Radio,[11] CBC News in Canada,[12][13] and Popular Science.[14]

Selected publications

Honors and awards

In 2018, Thomas received a Dalmas Taylor Award from the American Psychological Association.[15] She received a mid-career award from the Psychonomic Society in 2021.[16]

References
  1. "Ayanna Thomas, PhD | Psychologist". I Am A Scientist. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  2. "Ayanna Thomas | Department of Psychology". as.tufts.edu. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  3. Thomas, Ayanna K (2001). Changing belief to memory: the role of sensory enhanced imagination and semantic activation in the creation and quality of false memories (Thesis). OCLC 48647113.
  4. "Announcing Ayanna Thomas as next Dean of Research for Arts and Sciences | School of Arts and Sciences". as.tufts.edu. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  5. "Our Founders". SPARK Society. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  6. "Memory & Cognition". Springer. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  7. "Congratulations to our New Editors!". Psychonomic Society. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  8. "Ayanna K Thomas". scholar.google.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  9. Thomas, A.; Gutchess, A., eds. (2020). The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging: A Life Course Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108552684.
  10. "'I Am A Scientist' offers students STEM role models". Harvard Gazette. July 23, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  11. "Did That Really Happen? How Our Memories Betray Us". NPR.org. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  12. Mortillaro, Nichole (December 5, 2016). "The science of studying: How students can put their brains to best use". CBC. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  13. Smith, Amy M.; Floerke, Victoria A.; Thomas, Ayanna K. (November 25, 2016). "Retrieval practice protects memory against acute stress". Science. 354 (6315): 1046–1048. Bibcode:2016Sci...354.1046S. doi:10.1126/science.aah5067. PMID 27885031. S2CID 20202825.
  14. Watson, Sara Kiley (October 31, 2019). "Kids these days only seem dumb if you think you're a genius". Popular Science. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  15. "Minority Fellowship Program Achievement Awards". www.apa.org. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  16. "Meet the Psychonomic Society 2021 Mid-Career Award Recipients". 2021. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2021.


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