Alan Castel

Alan Castel is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with expertise in cognitive psychology, memory, and aging. He investigates how individuals selectively remember important information across the lifespan, focusing on memory strategies, attention, and decision-making. His research integrates behavioral and neuroscientific methods, emphasizing applied aspects such as consumer behavior, educational practices, and aging-related cognitive challenges.

Castel holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (2004), followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. He joined UCLA in 2006 and has since received prestigious awards including the Springer Early Career Award, Fulbright Scholarship, and UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award. His work is supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the National Science Foundation.

His research lab explores topics like value-driven learning, metacognition, and memory selectivity. Key findings include how goals improve memory retention and how aging affects strategic memory processes. Castel has authored over 100 publications and a popular book, Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging (2018), recognized as one of the best books on aging by the Wall Street Journal.