My name is Christopher Madan and I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham. If you want to email me, I can be contacted at: christopher.madan@nottingham.ac.uk. At the University of Nottingham, I am affiliated with several research groups, including: Cognition and Language, Computational Neuroscience, Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre (SPMIC), Precision Imaging, AI, and Accident Research Unit.

Research Interests

I study memory using a combination of cognitive psychology, neuroimaging, and computational modeling methods. I am particularly interested in investigating factors that make some experiences more memorable than others—including emotion, motivation, and pre-existing semantic knowledge—and how these influences can manifest in future decisions. I also specialize in characterizing inter-individual differences in brain morphology, particularly with respect to healthy aging and mental health conditions.

Memory for past experiences can be used to inform future behavior. However, not all experiences are equally informative for future behavior–in part because some experiences are more memorable than others. Although many factors can influence memorability, it is well known that both emotion and reward influence memory. Their effects are often studied independently, but in my own work, I seek to advance our understanding of these distinct effects on memory, but also to investigate commonalities in their effects, with the goal of understanding domain-general modulation of memory for motivationally salient information. Although biases can provide insight into the functional role of memory, how these biases manifest in decision-making further demonstrate their importance.

I conduct research across a variety of topics, including emotional memory, risky decision-making, and embodied cognition. I study these topics using behavioral paradigms, as well as fMRI, EEG, and structural MRI. Additionally, some studies involve computational modeling--either in the form of advanced statistical methods and machine learning, or through the development of specific models designed to distinguish between particular theoretical hypotheses. For more details on projects explicitly designed for methods development, see here.

Finding me on other websites

Google Scholar | Twitter (@cMadan) | Blog