Professor Jodie Plumert, and Starch Faculty fellow in the University of Iowa’s Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, has been appointed as the Russell B. Day and Florence D. Day Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences.

This title is a five-year appointment and will provide an annual discretionary research fund of $20,000. It recognizes Dr. Plumert’s scholarly work, professional contributions, and the distinction she brings to her department, the College, and the University.

Plumert’s research focuses on the development of spatial memory and communication and on the role of immature perceptual, motor, and cognitive skills in unintentional childhood injuries. Plumert is a co-leader of the Hank Virtual Environments Lab, which uses virtual environment technology to safely and systematically study perception-action problems with real-world consequences; and the Perceiving, Acting, and Thinking Lab, which studies how children and adults perceive, act, and think in the context of everyday problems such as crossing busy roads and finding missing objects.

Plumert received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Kalamazoo College in 1985 and her doctorate from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota in 1990. She joined the UI faculty in 1990.

Congratulations, Dr. Plumert!