Michele Diaz

Michele Diaz is a Professor of Psychology, Linguistics, and Neuroscience at Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Center for Language Science, Center for Healthy Aging, and the Social Sciences Research Institute. She holds a Ph.D. from Duke University (2005) and leads the Language and Aging Lab, focusing on how language changes across adulthood. Her research combines cognitive tasks, neuroimaging (e.g., fMRI, EEG), and semantic network analysis to study aging-related differences in language production and semantic memory. She has directed imaging centers, including the Social, Life, & Engineering Sciences Imaging Center for a decade, and previously held roles at Duke University’s Brain Imaging and Analysis Center.

Research Interests:

• Neural mechanisms underlying language production and comprehension in aging populations.
• Application of network science to analyze semantic memory structures.
• Effects of aging on white matter integrity and functional connectivity in language networks.
• Multi-site neuroimaging collaborations and technical standards for scanner reliability.

Recent Articles: Highlight aging’s impact on language networks, functional connectivity during word production, and semantic network flexibility. Themes include lifespan differences in neural efficiency, task difficulty modulation, and cross-linguistic comparisons.

Grants & Advising: Mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students (e.g., Hamed Karimi, Haoyun Zhang) and led NIH-funded projects. Collaborates with institutions like Duke University and the Penn State Clinical Center.

Labs/Teams: Directs the Language and Aging Lab, investigating semantic networks, neuroimaging techniques, and aging-related language changes. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams in psychology, neuroscience, and gerontology.