We are thrilled to welcome Associate Professor Caterina Gratton to the Department of Psychology faculty as of Fall 2024! Dr. Gratton is primarily affiliated with the Cognitive Neuroscience area.
Can you briefly share your academic and professional background that led you to the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?
I am originally from Champaign-Urbana, and received my undergrad degrees from UIUC in Psychology and Neuroscience, so this is a homecoming for me! During that time I worked with Prof. Kara Federmeier (who mentored me on my honors thesis), Prof. Diane Beck, and others. I received my Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UC Berkeley, where I worked with Profs. Mark D'Esposito and Michael Silver, studying how different regions of the brain interact through brain networks and the role of these interactions in attention. I continued in that line of work during my post-doc at Washington University in St. Louis, working with Steve Petersen on how brain network interactions varied with both task demands and individual differences. My lab continues these and other related studies, examining how brain networks are organized and vary over time and across the lifespan, and what happens when this organization is disrupted. Prior to this position, I was an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at Northwestern University and an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Florida State, where I retain affiliations.
Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve during your time at UIUC's Department of Psychology? Are there any long-term goals you're aiming for?
Looking ahead, we're very excited to continue on some of our "precision imaging" work, that provides detailed representations of individual brain networks. We have several lines of study examining how people's brain networks relate to cognitive control, how they break down with aging and neurodegenerative disease, and how individual differences arise. I'm also excited to connect with others in the UIUC Psychology department to better understand the role of brain networks in diverse cognitive processes and their disruptions in psychiatric disorders, among other questions.
On a personal note, what do you enjoy doing outside of your academic and professional life? Any hobbies, interests, or experiences you'd like to share?
I'm a twin mom to a pair of 9-year-olds, and we have two dogs (Darwin and Rosy). They help to make our house a fun and fully chaotic environment. I'm also a soccer fan/player (go Roma!).
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