Professor of Neuroscience @utaustin.bsky.social investigating how kids, teens & adults learn, remember & make sense of the world. preston.clm.utexas.eduhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mk3xsniak22sChildren get better at reasoning from memory as they grow up. But is it the same brain process getting stronger, or something more fundamental changing? In our new paper, we use fMRI and computational modeling to test that question directly 🧵22 Apr 2026 16:58 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk3xsniak22shttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mk3xsniak22sChildren get better at reasoning from memory as they grow up. But is it the same brain process getting stronger, or something more fundamental changing? In our new paper, we use fMRI and computational modeling to test that question directly 🧵22 Apr 2026 16:58 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk3xsniak22shttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mjzdhmuwds2gWhat comes to mind when you hear "math playground"? Because at a @simonsfoundation.org gathering for the Fusebox Festival this past weekend, I saw a literal one (more in thread 🛝)21 Apr 2026 15:49 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjzdhmuwds2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mjpdpi2o222gCome find us this Sunday at #ThinkeryATX's Spring into STEAM event! Stop by the Preston Lab table to learn about our research, try a hands-on brain challenge, and hear what it's like to work in a neuroscience lab. Learn more here: thinkeryaustin.org/steam-sunday17 Apr 2026 16:26 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjpdpi2o222ghttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mjmtey44f22gThe Preston Lab is at the 2026 Girls in STEM Conference with #Girlstart this weekend! Two of our lab members are speaking to 4th–8th grade girls about their paths in science & what research looks like day-to-day. Proud to support this event! More here: https://girlstart.org/our-programs/girls-in-stem-conference/16 Apr 2026 16:29 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmtey44f22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mjhuak7wbc2oHow children remember time changes dramatically as they grow up & understanding that shift matters more than you might think. Two new papers from the lab's newest PhD, Dr. Owen Friend, explore what that difference looks like & what it tells us about the developing brain 🧠14 Apr 2026 17:01 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjhuak7wbc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mj64xcnmj22cThe Preston Lab has a new doctor in the house! 🥂🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Owen Friend, who defended his dissertation today. Seven studies in four years, all on how children remember when things happen. His committee called it the best defense talk they'd ever seen. We're so proud!10 Apr 2026 20:10 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj64xcnmj22chttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mhswfd3mck25We’re hiring a full-time Research Coordinator in the Preston Lab at UT Austin (start May/June 2026). Work on behavioral + fMRI studies of how memory & decision-making develop from childhood to adulthood. Learn more & apply: https://preston.clm.utexas.edu/news/join-the-preston-lab-as-a-full-time-research-coordinator Please repost!24 Mar 2026 15:48 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhswfd3mck25https://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mhb5u74jc22zOne of the most valuable things trainees can see is how scientists think through uncertainty. We do this each year at #MPMD. Each PI brings a question instead of a talk—and we work through it together. I hope others consider this format created by Simona Ghetti, hosted this year by Jeni Pathman.17 Mar 2026 14:14 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhb5u74jc22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mgutddpckk23Had a blast co-hosting a booth with the Church Lab at @utwistem.bsky.social UT STEM Girl Day! So fun meeting curious kids and families and sharing our research on memory and brain development. Visit our website to learn more and get involved! 🧠 preston.clm.utexas.edu/participate12 Mar 2026 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgutddpckk23https://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mgsbafs53s2mWe only experience time moving forward. But memory can both predict what comes next and reconstruct what must have happened before. In a new @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social preprint, we show how hippocampal development enables this flexible representation of time 🧵11 Mar 2026 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgsbafs53s2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mgpsqwgr7s2mExcited to join the Toronto Area Memory Group (TAMeG) for #TAMeG2026 in May as keynote speaker! I’m especially looking forward to the panel discussion on scientific mentorship and how we support the next generation of scientists. [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Mar 2026 16:40 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgpsqwgr7s2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mgfyfhikxk2yEvery time you experience something new, your brain faces a decision: Should it update an existing memory or create a new one? In our new paper in @sfnjournals.bsky.social #JNeurosci, we isolate that exact decision, moment-by-moment during learning 🧵06 Mar 2026 18:54 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgfyfhikxk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mgaxihx27k2kOne thing I've learned about grad student interviews is to stop asking "Why do you want to go to graduate school?" and start asking candidates to reason backward from the end of the PhD. Who will you become? What will you do that you couldn't before? You learn so much more.04 Mar 2026 18:55 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgaxihx27k2khttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mfrtvhp7gk2g🧠✨ The future of science starts here! The Preston & Church Labs will be at UT STEM Girl Day, hosted by @utwistem.bsky.social! Visit us to: ➡️ Explore how memory works ➡️ Try our pretend MRI ➡️ Meet our research team ➡️ Learn how you can participate in UT research Learn more: girlday.utexas.edu26 Feb 2026 18:41 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfrtvhp7gk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mfaqpjcyxs2iThrilled to be part of this event! Such a fantastic lineup and an exciting, interdisciplinary space for thinking deeply about spatial cognition. Looking forward to the conversations and encourage folks to submit! [contains quote post or other embedded content]19 Feb 2026 23:28 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfaqpjcyxs2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3mae4exwgms2q✨ That’s a wrap on 2025! From research milestones to community connections, we’ve accomplished so much this past year. Here’s a look back at everything we did together...19 Dec 2025 16:29 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mae4exwgms2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3ma4l55xob22n(1/5) 🧵Our new preprint shows how the brain develops to transform how kids, teens & adults represent & navigate their world: shifting from local, moment-to-moment memories in childhood to integrated, global cognitive maps in adulthood 🧠 Paper: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.11.693744v116 Dec 2025 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma4l55xob22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m76jvbnqvc2mWe love connecting with curious minds at UT Hot Science – Cool Talks, hosted by UT Environmental Science Institute! 🔬 We always have fun sharing the wonders of science with our community & watching their interest spark! Are you in the Austin area? Check it out: https://www.esi.utexas.edu/community-engagement/hot-science-cool-talks/04 Dec 2025 17:50 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m76jvbnqvc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m6htw7pu7s2tLooking for a nice way to build team connection before the holiday? Our lab drew names (gift exchange style) & shared aloud why we're grateful for that teammate, what makes us proud of them & how they strengthen the team. Such a sweet, grounding moment. Highly recommend 💛🧠25 Nov 2025 17:18 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6htw7pu7s2thttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m664z5ubws2y(1/4) Encouraging children & teens to manage their schedules independently has positive impacts for their memory! Our new study reveals that age & independence combine to enhance memory development 🧵 Read here: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/68bqk_v121 Nov 2025 20:34 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m664z5ubws2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m664z5ubws2y(1/4) Encouraging children & teens to manage their schedules independently has positive impacts for their memory! Our new study reveals that age & independence combine to enhance memory development 🧵 Read here: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/68bqk_v121 Nov 2025 20:34 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m664z5ubws2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m5yzlu57rc22#SfN25, what a week! So proud watching lab members Omer, Nicole & Owen shine at their posters. Loved catching up with colleagues, former students & neuroscientists I deeply admire. Thank you for a fantastic event @sfn.org! 🧠19 Nov 2025 19:50 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5yzlu57rc22https://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m5tpfv44pc24If you're at @sfn.org #SfN2025, hope you can swing by and see us today! 🧠 [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Nov 2025 17:04 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5tpfv44pc24https://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m5m5zndejc2aThe Preston Lab will be at @sfn.org #SfN2025! Come see what we've been working on 🧠 We'll discuss how kids & adults remember when things happen, how memory changes impact reasoning & how we learn different actions have different consequences based on the setting. Find us Monday & Wednesday 🤘14 Nov 2025 17:04 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5m5zndejc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m5m5zndejc2aThe Preston Lab will be at @sfn.org #SfN2025! Come see what we've been working on 🧠 We'll discuss how kids & adults remember when things happen, how memory changes impact reasoning & how we learn different actions have different consequences based on the setting. Find us Monday & Wednesday 🤘14 Nov 2025 17:04 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5m5zndejc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/aliprestonphd.bsky.social/post/3m5h6bswfhn2t(1/4) 🧠 Did you know that kids remember time differently than adults? Our new preprint review w/ @drjeni-mdlab.bsky.social discusses the real implications for juvenile justice & why we need to ask about timing in ways that match kids' developing brains ⚖️ Paper: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/n8m4v_v112 Nov 2025 17:26 +0000at://did:plc:lzsspi2mepk5mznrecx6clp2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5h6bswfhn2t