Kali A. Sarver, M.S.
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan
About Me
I am a doctoral candidate in the Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience area in the Psychology Department at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. My research interests include healthy age-related changes in the brain, memory decline with age, and neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, my research focuses on cognitive working memory and affective working memory (i.e., working memory for emotion) performance across the lifespan.
From 2017 to 2021, I was an undergraduate student at Miami University in Oxford, OH. While there, I worked in two research labs and completed an honors thesis. In May 2021, I graduated Cum Laude and with departmental honors in psychology.
On this site, you will find information regarding my research experience, most recent publications and presentations, teaching and mentoring experience, and you can access my CV.
Background
My interest in studying the aging brain began in college. As an undergraduate student, I developed a deep interest in cognitive psychology. I served as an undergraduate research assistant in two psychology labs, which allowed me to hone qualitative and quantitative research skills. Although I enjoyed research, I was not passionate about the topics that my undergraduate research labs focused on. I was interested in the aging brain, specifically in how aging affects our neural and psychological development, but this opportunity was not available to me at my undergraduate institution.
This background propelled me to seek out experiences where I could focus on memory loss, and I began working at a skilled personal care facility. Working with older adults at this facility reinforced my desire to learn about the aging brain and consider new ways to offer services to this community through research. Through my growth as an undergraduate, I came to recognize my interests and urge to use my education to help older adults.
At the University of Michigan (UM), I joined the Cognitive & Affective Neuropsychology lab (PI: Dr. Reuter-Lorenz), dedicated to understanding memory processes and changes in cognitive functions as we age. Under the mentorship of Dr. Reuter-Lorenz in UM’s Department of Psychology, I want to use cognitive psychology methods to continue investigating brain changes with age.