Biography
Dr. Melina Uncapher – Applying Neuroscience Research to Solve Real-World Problems in Education and Technology
Dr. Melina Uncapher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at UC San Francisco, and Director of Education for Neuroscape, a new center that aims to bridge neuroscience and technology (neuroscape.ucsf.edu/education/).
Dr. Uncapher has spent 16 years at the forefront of learning neuroscience, and now applies research to solve real-world problems in education and technology.
Education: Dr. Uncapher leads a multi-university National Science Foundation-funded network studying how executive function contributes to academic achievement, and is leading an initiative to launch Learning Engineering as a new way to build research-practice partnerships. She co-founded and is CEO of a nonprofit that arms educators and students with practical tools based on learning science: Institute for Applied Neuroscience (scienceforgood.org).
Technology: Dr. Uncapher runs a NIH-funded research program that investigates whether technology use is associated with neurocognitive changes. She co-chaired a 2015 National Academy of Sciences conference on children and technology, and sits on the board of the Institute of Digital Media and Child Development. She also holds an affiliation with Stanford’s Psychology Department and is a MacArthur Scholar.
Her work has been highlighted in media outlets such as the New York Times, PBS, and Frontline. Her science outreach work includes serving as Script Supervisor on the Emmy-nominated PBS TV series The Brain with David Eagleman, and as scientific advisor on an award-winning short film about the brain.
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