Prof. Mara Mather, Ph.D.
Curriculum Vitae
Mara Mather has been a director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development since September 2026, where she heads the newly established Center for Affective and Autonomic Neuroscience (CAAN). Mather studied psychology at Stanford University and received her PhD in cognitive psychology from Princeton University. After appointments at Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Cruz, she was a professor of gerontology, psychology, and biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California.
Research Interests
Mather is interested in how emotions, physiological regulation processes, and brain aging are connected—and what role these interactions might play in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. A key focus of her work is on the biological processes that can precede a neurodegenerative disease by many years. Mather investigates whether changes in the autonomic nervous system in early and middle adulthood already shape later brain health. To pursue these questions, Mather combines state-of-the-art brain imaging with physiological measurements and longitudinal studies. In the long term, her research aims to contribute to a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of healthy aging and to identify possible entry points for prevention.
Selected Awards
Mather has received numerous awards for her scientific work, including a Humboldt Research Fellowship and the Max Planck Sabbatical Award.