I am interested in how we learn and forget, and I study these processes using language as a model system. My research focuses on how learning is shaped by the context in which we encounter new information, our existing knowledge, and the characteristics of the material we’re trying to learn. I’m particularly curious about how these mechanisms evolve as we age.
Presently, I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the Rastle lab at Royal Holloway, University of London, England. My current line of research explores what children learn through exposure to text and how this knowledge contributes to their reading fluency and proficiency. This project is a collaboration with Kathy Rastle, Marc Brysbaert, and Marco Marelli.
I did my PhD at Macquarie University and University of Potsdam through the IDEALAB PhD programme. This work examined neural and behavioural underpinnings of encoding and consolidation in learning of novel words in one’s first and later acquired languages. I was supervised by Audrey Bürki, Lyndsey Nickels, and Paul Sowman.
I care deeply about open science and healthy research culture. At Royal Holloway, I am the organiser of the ReproducibiliTea journal club, where we alternate between paper discussions and more hands-on “how-to” sessions on various aspects of research life. Please fill out this short form if you’d like to be added to our mailing list.
I’m passionate about making research accessible and involving diverse voices to drive positive change. If you’re an educator, parent, or policymaker interested in collaborating, I’d love to hear from you!
Outside of work, you can find me kayaking, hiking, playing guitar, or in the gym. I am also a keen reader, and I really like to knit and make pottery.
Contact
maria [dot] korochkina [at] rhul [dot] ac [dot] uk