University of Pennsylvania · PsychologyMemory and Context Lab
Michael Jacob Kahana · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Michael Kahana's lab focuses on understanding how we remember events from our past by studying the connections between memories and the contexts in which they were made. The research combines advanced computational models with real brain recordings from patients undergoing neurosurgery and healthy individuals participating in virtual reality experiences to explore the processes of memory retrieval and decision-making. The goal is to uncover the brain mechanisms that help us recall specific memories and how these affect our choices.
episodic memorymemory retrievalneurobiologyvirtual realityelectroencephalographydecision-makingcontextual memorymemory organizationcomputational modeling
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how memory reactivation influences subsequent recall.
AIM 02Decode neural events associated with memory rehearsal and replay.
AIM 03Connect neural retrieval dynamics to value-based decision making.
Skills the Lab Values
electroencephalography (EEG)computational modelingmultivariate pattern analysisneurosurgical data analysisvirtual reality experimentationdata analysis in Pythonmemory recall techniquesbehavioral testingstatistical modeling
Output against the department
Publications395top 8% of dept.25th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations32ktop 7% of dept.21st of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.