The Effect of Environmental Features on Cognitive And Mental Health: An Environmental Neuroscience Perspective

Karen C. Well Lecture Marc Berman is a Professor of Psychology and is the Director of the Environmental Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Chicago. He is also Chair of the Department of Psychology and faculty co-Director of the Masters in Computational Social Science program. In his research he applies novel statistical and computational models to quantify brain networks and applies those metrics to broader psychological phenomena such as self-control, depression, and cognitive effort. He and his lab are also interested in quantifying the physical and social environment to better understand brain-environment interactions and how those interactions can be used to understand human behavior. In particular, Berman and his team are trying to understand why natural environments have beneficial effects on body and mind. Berman received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience and Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2010. He is the recipient of the 2018 Association for Psychological Science's (APS) Early Career Research Award, the U. Chicago Neubauer Faculty Development Fellowship for excellence in teaching and mentorship and the 2019 American Psychological Association (APA) Early Career Award. His work has been featured in many publications including the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Boston Globe, Chicago Magazine, the Times London, the Toronto Star and the Wall Street Journal.