Sarah Power

Sarah Power is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany, specializing in the neural and cognitive mechanisms of early memory development. Her work bridges experimental psychology and neuroscience to unravel why childhood memories fade.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Trinity College Dublin (2021)
• B.Sc. in Neuroscience from University College Dublin (2016)

Dr. Power investigates memory engram formation across species, focusing on infantile amnesia in toddlers through innovative behavioral and neuroimaging approaches. Her research examines how early-life experiences are encoded and forgotten, with implications for neurodevelopmental disorders and dementia. Key methodologies include cross-species comparative studies and longitudinal memory assessment in developmental cohorts.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized through:

• CIFAR Child & Brain Development Next Generation Trainee award (2023)
• Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Fellowship (2017-2021)

Supported by these competitive fellowships, her work has attracted international media attention from BBC, Science, Le Monde, and The Independent. As an integral member of the Lifespan Psychology Team, she collaborates on interdisciplinary projects exploring memory trajectories across the human lifespan, with current research examining immune-memory interactions and neural plasticity in early development.