I was born and grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I am a first-generation college student from a low-income household and the only member of my family to pursue a doctoral degree.
I earned a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2019), where I then spent three years working as the lab manager for Dr. Brad Postle.
[PO-STL-AB]
I earned a PhD in Psychology from the University of Arizona (2021). I began my doctoral training at the University of California, Davis with Dr. Arne Ekstrom and transferred to the University of Arizona when Dr. Ekstrom and the lab moved there in 2018.
[Human Spatial Cognition Lab]
Currently, I am a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine with Dr. Liz Chrastil.
[Spatial Neuroscience Lab]
In July of 2026, I will be joining the faculty in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) as an Assistant Professor in the Cognitive and Brain Sciences program.
[UNR Department of Psychology]
I have two last names. Starrett is the name I was born with and Ambrose was added when I got married. My general policy is to use “M. J. Starrett” for all research products (e.g., publications and conference proceedings) and to use both last names in most/all other contexts (“Please welcome, Dr. Starrett Ambrose”).
In my personal time, I enjoy biking, video games, craft beer, coffee, and just hanging out with my family.
