Sheffield psychologist awarded prestigious Leverhulme Fellowship to research cognitive ageing

The three-year fellowship will allow Dr Peng to establish a new research program aimed at developing targeted cognitive training to support independent living in later life. 

For cognitive scientists, the challenge of mitigating age-related mental decline has long been hindered by a lack of clarity surrounding how we forget. While the gradual fading or sudden disruption of memories is known to be a vital factor in independent living, current analytical methods often fail to separate initial learning difficulties from subsequent memory loss. This provides only a static snapshot of data, leaving researchers unable to track distinct cognitive mechanisms of forgetting over time.

Supported by the Leverhulme Trust, Dr Peng will lead a series of studies leveraging advanced non-linear modelling and innovative Bayesian statistics to map how memories fade. The project will provide the first clear window into whether older adults are uniquely vulnerable to time-based decay or to memory interference, and whether these distinct processes can be altered.

“I am very delighted to receive this fellowship. Memories shape so much of how we experience daily life, yet we still have much to learn about why some memories endure while others fade. The project will allow me to investigate how memories are formed and forgotten over time, and to examine why these processes may differ across adulthood. In the longer term, I hope this work will contribute to the development of evidence-based approaches to support cognitive health in later life.” Dr Nan Peng

By specifically focusing on the independence of encoding and forgetting across short and long-term intervals, Dr Peng's work will evaluate whether adaptive cognitive training can modify the rate of memory loss. This will allow the team to identify whether targeted training can flatten the forgetting curve and protect cognitive health before memory decline impacts daily independence.