Andrew Yonelinas is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, where he directs the Human Memory Lab. He holds additional leadership roles as Associate Director of the Center for Mind and Brain and is an affiliated faculty member with the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience. His research bridges cognitive psychology and neuroscience to investigate fundamental memory mechanisms and their neural substrates. His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from McMaster University (1995) and a B.S. in Cognitive Science from the University of Toronto (1990). These foundational studies established his expertise in experimental methodologies and cognitive theory. Yonelinas specializes in dual-process models of memory, distinguishing between recollection (detailed contextual retrieval) and familiarity (vague recognition). His lab employs process dissociation, remember/know procedures, and ROC modeling alongside neuroimaging (fMRI, ERP) and clinical studies with amnesic and Alzheimer's patients. Recent work expands into auditory working memory, multisensory integration, and the impact of mental illness on cognitive processes, revealing hippocampal roles across memory systems. His research consistently addresses how memory fails in clinical conditions while developing unified theoretical frameworks. Analysis of his 2024-2025 publications shows a strong focus on memory mechanisms across sensory modalities, with increasing emphasis on clinical applications. Key trends include hippocampal contributions to visual/auditory working memory, EEG-based biomarkers for mental illness, and the interplay between schema knowledge and memory distortion in aging populations. His work demonstrates methodological innovation through model-based EEG phenotyping and multisite clinical collaborations. His scientific recognition includes: American Psychological Society’s Shahin Hashtroudi Memorial Award University of California Chancellor’s Fellow Award European Brain and Behavior Society International Lecture Award Yonelinas actively shapes his field through editorial roles at top journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Journal of Experimental Psychology, while serving as a grant reviewer for NIH, NSF, and international funding bodies. His Human Memory Lab trains next-generation researchers in memory theory and methodology, with recent projects examining stress effects on memory precision and neural mechanisms of action slips. The Human Memory Lab operates within UC Davis's neuroscience ecosystem, collaborating closely with the Center for Mind and Brain on projects involving clinical populations and neuroimaging. Current initiatives include the CNTRACS Consortium for EEG standardization in mental illness and investigations into how stress modulates memory binding through hippocampal mechanisms.
