Rebecca Spencer

Rebecca Spencer is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She joined the department in 2008 after postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley's Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute (2002-2008), supported by an NIH NRSA fellowship. Her academic journey began with a PhD in Neuroscience from Purdue University (2002), focusing on the neural control of movement.

Her research explores the multifaceted roles of sleep, particularly in early childhood and aging. Key areas include sleep-dependent memory consolidation, emotional memory processing, and the impact of sleep patterns on cognitive development. She has secured two NIH R01 awards and was granted the NIH Pathways to Independence Award (K99/R00) for her work on age-related changes in sleep and cognition.

Recent publications highlight collaborations across disciplines—from analyzing sleep spindles and slow-wave activity to developing tools like PSGpower for sleep EEG analysis. Her work intersects with pediatrics, neuroimaging, and behavioral science, emphasizing the interplay between sleep physiology, memory, and health outcomes.

Scientific awards include:

• NIH NRSA Fellowship
• NIH Pathways to Independence Award (K99/R00)