Research 411 is a talk show focused on sharing best practices and trending research topics delivered by professional staff and prominent UT Dallas researchers from various disciplines. Dr. Chandramallika Basak will talk about the heart and mind connection.
Dr. Chandramallika Basak, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Basak is the Director of Lifespan Neuroscience and Cognition (LiNC) laboratory which is located in the Center for Vital Longevity.
Dr. Basak investigates how and where in the brain we attend to and remember information, rapidly switching between tasks or information, update information dynamically, and learn complex skills. Dr. Basak also studies how we can improve brain and cognition through various interventions (both cognitive and physical fitness), expertise (such as chess, music, video games), and cardiovascular health in both younger and older adults.
Dr. Basak earned a BSc in Mathematics (Honors) and an MSc in Psychology (Silver medalist; 1st Class 2nd) from the University of Calcutta, India. She also has a dual-MS degree in Applied Statistics and Experimental Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Syracuse University, NY. She was a Beckman Institute Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Biological Intelligence and Human-Computer Interaction divisions. Prior to moving to UTD in 2011, she was a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rice University, TX.
Dr. Basak’s research is currently funded by two grants from the National Institute of Aging, where two clinical trials are being conducted on cognitive interventions in older adults. Additionally, she has been funded and continues to be funded, by various grants from foundations that fund research on prevention and cure of Alzheimer’s disease, including AWARE and Darrel K Royal Foundation for Alzheimer’s Disease.
Her honors include an Early Career Research Award at the 2007 Cognitive Aging Conference in Australia, an Outstanding Dissertation Award and Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from Syracuse University, and a Syracuse University Graduate Fellowship. She is Associate Editor in Cognitive Neuroscience, a specialty section of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (April 2020 – present), and is an Editorial Board Member of Restorative Neuroscience and Neurology journal. She is also the Chair of Technology and Aging, a Special Interest Group of American Psychological Association (APA; Division 20), mentors, students, and post-docs of under-represented minorities through APA, and serves as a reviewer of many journals and is member of several grant review panels, including National Institutes of Health.