Neuroscientist Dr. Nathaniel Klooster spent six years as a postdoctoral fellow between his doctoral studies and landing at Hope College in 2022. In the Neurology Department at the University of Pennsylvania, he was part of a team of scientists who investigated how the brain supports memory and language abilities. During this time, Dr. Klooster taught in the psychology departments of Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges.

At Hope Dr. Klooster’s courses have included Cognitive Psychology, Introduction to Neuroscience, and Introduction to Psychology. He also mentors student researchers.

AREAS OF Expertise

• Cognitive psychology
• Cognitive neuroscience
• Memory systems
• Language

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., neuroscience, University of Iowa, 2016
• B.A., philosophy, Kenyon College, 2006

Selected Publications

• “Sensitive Measures of Cognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment,” with S. Humphries et al., Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2021
• “The Neural Basis of Metaphor Comprehension: Evidence from Left Hemisphere Degeneration,” with M. McQuire et al., Neurobiology of Language, 2020
• “Remote Semantic Memory Is Impoverished in Hippocampal Amnesia,” with M. C. Duff, Neuropsychologia, 2015
• “Gestures Make Memories, but What Kind? Patients with Impaired Procedural Memory Display Disruptions in Gesture Production and Comprehension,” with S. W. Cook, E. Y. Uc, and M. C. Duff, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2015  

View more of Dr. Klooster’s publications

Outside the College

Outside of work, Dr. Klooster loves spending time with his children. He enjoys cooking, is a big Cleveland sports fan, and considers one of the best parts of working at a college to be taking advantage of the terrific athletics, the arts and stimulating academic events.