Craig E. L. Stark

Biography

Craig E. L. Stark, Ph.D., is Professor in the Departments of Neurobiology and Behavior and Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, where he also serves as Director of the Campus Center for Neuro-Imaging (CCNI) and Director of the Facility for Imaging and Brain Research (FIBRE). He additionally serves as Biomarker Core Leader for the UCI Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC). From 2016 to 2022, he held the James L. McGaugh Chair in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. His research focuses on the structure and function of the medial temporal lobe memory system, with particular emphasis on hippocampal pattern separation and its decline in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Stark is known for developing the Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST), a behavioral and neuroimaging tool for assessing hippocampal integrity that has been widely adopted in studies of aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease. His lab applies high-resolution structural and functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and MR spectroscopy to examine hippocampal subfield function across the human lifespan. He has maintained continuous NIH funding across his career, supporting work that spans translational animal models, human neuroimaging, and the development of digital biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.

Stark has contributed extensively to public education on the neuroscience of memory, including recurring participation in judicial education programs organized by the AAAS, the Federal Judicial Center, and the Dana Foundation. He received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University, where he trained under James McClelland, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Diego under Larry Squire.

Education

• A.B., Harvard University, 1992
• Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, 1997
• Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Diego, 2001

Distinctions

• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2018-present
• Fellow for the Association for Psychological Science (APS), 2018-present
• Top-cited article 2021-2022, Hippocampus journal, 2021-2022
• James L. McGaugh Chair in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 2016-2022
• Faculty Member, Faculty of 1000 Cognitive Neuroscience division, 2010-present
• Member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, 2011-present
• Department of Psychology Faculty Prize, Harvard University, 1992
• UCI Innovator of the Year Finalist, UC Irvine, 2020
• McDonnell-Pew Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSD, 1997
• Magna Cum Laude with Highest Honors, Harvard University, 1992