User:Oabrown23/Ayanna Kim Thomas

User:Oabrown23/Ayanna Kim Thomas

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Ayanna Kim Thomas is an American scientist, author, and cognitive researcher. Dr. Thomas graduated from Wesleyan University and the University of Washington. Dr. Thomas' research focuses on the intersection of memory and aging, particularly as those fields relate to brain and cognitive science. Dr. Thomas is a Professor and the Dean of Research for the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University. She is founding member of SPARK Society. She is the editor-in-chief of the journal Memory & Cognition. Dr. Thomas is a fellow of the Psychonomic Society and the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program.

Education and career
Ayanna Thomas received her B.A. in African American Studies and Psychology from Wesleyan University in 1996 and matriculated to the University of Washington to earn her PhD in 2001. In 2004, she completed her post-doctoral work as a National Institute of Aging (NIA) Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Thomas' journey to professorship began as a Research Scientist at Washington University. In 2004, she 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. Also, in 2019, Thomas was named Editor-in-Chief of the journal Memory & Cognition. Dr. Thomas started her term in January 1, 2020.

As of 2021, Dr. Thomas is a Professor and the Dean of Research for School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University. Thomas is a founding member of the SPARK Society which is devoted to increasing representation in cognitive sciences for underrepresented minorities. Dr. Thomas has acquired fellow memberships with of the Psychonomic Society and American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program.

Research
Dr. Thomas is known for her research in the field of psychology with expertise in memory and cognitive aging. Thomas's approach to research involves a translational approach and the use of different methodological techniques. Dr. Thomas is the principal investigator at the Cognitive Aging and Memory Lab at Tufts University in which she has received funding from the National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke.

Throughout her career, Thomas has produced nearly 70 peer-reviewed publications and has published in the Cambridge University Press with the 2020 release of The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging: A Life Course Perspective. Her research has been covered by several organizations including I Am a Scientist, National Public Radio, CBC News in Canada, and Popular Science.