Manasi Jayakumar

(she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Areas of Study

Psychology

Education

BSE, biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani - Dubai Campus, 2013
MS, applied cognition and neuroscience, University of Texas at Dallas, 2016
MA, psychology, Columbia University, 2020
MPhil, psychology, Columbia University, 2022
PhD, psychology, Columbia University, 2024

Biography

I am a cognitive psychologist and neuroscientist. I graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. My dissertation research examined the impact of spontaneous attentional fluctuations on episodic memory. Broadly, I am interested in how our internal cognitive states during an experience can influence memory organization and retrieval, and how these processes differ between individuals. To address these questions, I use lab-based and online behavioral studies, eye-tracking, pupillometry, and computational modeling methods.

I have an undergraduate degree in biotechnology engineering, during which time I had a chance encounter with research on patient H.M. that ignited my curiosity about the cognitive neuroscience of memory. I then pursued a master’s degree in applied cognition and neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas, followed by a two-year stint as a lab manager and research coordinator at Stanford University, before pursuing my PhD.

Spring 2026

Introduction to Psychological Science — PSYC 100

Cognition in Context — PSYC 227

Seminar in Memory and Cognition — PSYC 436

Teaching Assistant — PSYC 500

Practicum in Psychology — PSYC 501

Supervised Research in Psychology (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 511F

Supervised Research in Psychology (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 511H

Independent Research Problems (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 607F

Independent Research Problems (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 607H

Psychology Honors (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 609F

Psychology Honors (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 609H

Fall 2026

Introduction to Psychological Science — PSYC 100

Cognition in Context — PSYC 227

Teaching Assistant — PSYC 500

Practicum in Psychology — PSYC 501

Supervised Research in Psychology (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 511F

Supervised Research in Psychology (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 511H

Independent Research Problems (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 607F

Independent Research Problems (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 607H

Psychology Honors (NSMA) - Full — PSYC 609F

Psychology Honors (NSMA) - Half — PSYC 609H

ºauthor is/was an undergraduate research mentee.
⁺author is/was a post-baccalaureate research scholar.

Jayakumar, M., Tsegai Moore, A.⁺, Nemeth, C.º, Aly M. (under review). Pupil size at encoding predicts the temporal structure of memory. PsyArXiv.
Jayakumar, M., Balusu, C.º, & Aly, M. (2023). Attentional fluctuations and the temporal organization of memory. Cognition, 235, 105408.
Jayakumar, M.*, Tarder-Stoll, H.*, Dimsdale-Zucker, H.R., Günseli, E., & Aly, M. (2019). Dynamic internal states shape memory retrieval. Neuropsychologia, 138, 107328. *denotes equal contribution to first authorship.

Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Instructor, Columbia University, 2024
Teaching Scholar, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Columbia University, 2023-2024
Graduate Student Travel Grant, Society for the Teaching of Psychology, 2023

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