College of Arts and Sciences University Professor, Chair of Psychology, and Director of the Center for Research on Applied Gerontology, Karlene K. Ball, Ph.D., has been named as endowed chair in developmental psychology by The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees.

Dr. Ball is an internationally renowned expert on developmental change in cognition associated with aging.  Her research has resulted in discoveries that span the disciplines of cognitive psychology, human factors, injury prevention, basic and applied gerontology, vision science, and transportation research.  Dr. Ball has spent her career taking real world problems and finding solutions that improve the everyday functioning of older adults.

Her work has recently become the focus of a nationwide trend in neural plasticity and brain fitness.