Mara Mather

Mara Mather is a Professor of Gerontology, Psychology, and Biomedical Engineering at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California. She leads the Emotion & Cognition Lab, focusing on the autonomic nervous system's role in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Her research explores how locus coeruleus dysfunction impacts cognition and how interventions like heart rate variability biofeedback may improve brain health.

Education: PhD in Neuroscience from Princeton University (2000), AB from Stanford University (1994).

Research interests include the autonomic nervous system’s influence on brain aging, Alzheimer’s pathology, and emotion-cognition interactions. Key projects investigate locus coeruleus MRI contrast, heart rate variability interventions, and neuroimaging biomarkers of cognitive decline.

Awards include the 2024 USC Mentoring Award. Her lab collaborates on studies linking autonomic function to late-life memory and has pioneered interventions targeting cerebrovascular health. The lab is located in GER 341, with active projects on aging, Alzheimer’s, and biofeedback technologies.