Alan D. Castel

Alan D. Castel is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on human memory, attention, and cognitive aging, particularly how younger and older adults selectively remember important information in contexts of information overload.

• PhD in Cognitive Psychology from University of Toronto (2004)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis
• UCLA faculty since 2006

His work integrates strategic memory control, value-directed remembering, and metacognition, with applications to eyewitness memory, consumer decision-making, and aging-related financial fraud prevention. The Memory and Lifespan Cognition Lab employs lab-based tasks, naturalistic observations, and structured interviews to study lifespan changes in memory and attention.

Recent publications highlight trends in memory selectivity, neural correlates of value-directed memory, metacognitive strategies, and applied cognitive interventions for aging populations and educational settings. Collaborations span cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, and applied psychology domains.

Scientific Awards:

• Springer Early Career Award (American Psychological Association)
• Fulbright Scholar Award
• UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award

Castel lectures internationally, has authored the book Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging, and has received funding from the National Institute on Aging and National Science Foundation.