On April 29, 2025, Morris Moscovitch was elected an international member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Moscovitch is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Toronto and the Max and Gianna Glassman Chair in Neuropsychology and Aging.
Scientists elected to the NAS are celebrated for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. A leading neuropsychologist who has published over 400 research articles, Moscovitch formulated a groundbreaking neuropsychological model of memory.
“I have always had great respect and admiration for the scientists who are part of the National Academy in psychology. I feel very honoured to be included among them.”
“I have always had great respect and admiration for the scientists who are part of the National Academy in psychology,” Moscovitch says. “I feel very honoured to be included among them.”
Moscovitch's work investigates how memory changes with time and experience, from childhood to old age, and in people who are neurologically intact and in those with brain
damage or degeneration associated with dementia. He is also interested in how memory interacts with attention, perception, problem solving and social behaviour, as well as facial recognition and hemispheric specialization. His work has had a significant impact on memory research and clinical applications.
He has been equally committed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of scientists, having supervised over 30 doctoral students and dozens of undergraduate students.
Moscovitch joined the University of Toronto in 1971, where he leads the Human Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, and is a Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest. In 2020, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
The NAS was established in 1863 in the U.S. by an Act of Congress as a private, nongovernmental institution designed to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Today, the NAS recognizes and elevates outstanding science and promotes science for public good.