The casual conversationalist might assume that geniality and strength are direct opposites of one another—but Dr. Chantel Prat is a testimony to the contrary. Her warm demeanor and palpable eagerness (“YES I’d love to be interviewed!” she responds to my initial email) exist in complete harmony with the sheer stubbornness, as she calls it, that’s given rise to the impressive list of accomplishments under her name. An Associate Professor of psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics at the UW, a cognitive neuroscientist by training, the recipient of several grants and awards including the Tom Trabasso Young Investigator Award, soon to be author of her own book, and wife and mother, Prat is a force to be reckoned with. If her name sounds familiar, it’s likely because she, along with UW researchers Dr. Andrea Stucco and Dr. Rajesh Rao performed the first groundbreaking non-invasive information transfer between two brains in 2013. Her story begins at an accelerated pre-med program in Kansas City.
Just a few credits and one social science course short of graduating, she found herself sitting in the lecture hall of an intro to psych class—the birthplace of the realization that she wanted to study the brain.
“I wouldn’t describe myself as driven before that moment. I was smart, and I got a lot of reinforcement in the world for being smart. [Pre-med] is just what smart people do.”
At the age of 19 and the on the fast-track to med school, Prat switched course entirely as she transferred to UC San Diego to pursue a degree in psychology. That same summer, the course of her entire life followed suit when she found herself unexpectedly pregnant. In need of a job for the sake of both practicality and professional experience, she secured a position at a lab specifically looking for research assistants with experience with children.
Prat discusses navigating this part of her life, novel and unexpected, in a way that pays solemn tribute to her daughter. She discovered while working at this lab that her daughter was reverse lateralized (her language hemisphere was on the right, instead of left hemisphere where most people’s are!). While her undergraduate career was born out of curiosity and in pursuit of a academic and professional fulfillment, it was fueled by the need to be better, and to create a more understanding and empathetic version of herself so that she could raise her daughter in the way she deserved. It’s clear that deterring off track was never an option for Prat—it’s difficult to conceptualize the option to quit when there’s a little piece of the future reminding you why you’re here in the first place.
Prat was in the process of raising her then-9 year old in Davis, California when she packed up her life yet again to move to Carnegie Melon University to complete her postdoc. There’s a particular conversation that Prat describes almost as if it was her grounding measure amongst background noise.
“What do you think of moving to Pittsburgh? It’s new and we don’t know anyone.” She asks her daughter.
“If it’s your dream, let’s do it.”
We often discredit children for the simple genius of their advice, but in many ways, the pure naivete of their thoughts grant them sensibility beyond our line of sight.
There’s a common theme amongst the pages of Prat’s story: the pursuit of support. Clearly accomplished in her field and surrounded by peers and people she values, her path to success is one that’s sought after. Interestingly enough, she attributes much of the establishment of her career to spontaneity, the driving force being the pursuit of spaces in which she felt heard. “Much of [applying] to grad school and who I went to work with was determined by relationships. [I went] where I felt supported.” It’s almost obvious in sentiment, but the idea of both finding and creating spaces that allow for one to feel cared for and content is criminally underrated. Prat’s journey is living proof that it’s an important, if not necessary, priority. Too often it’s easy to get side-swept in the tumultuous world of pre-med or the grueling pressures of law school simply because they’re what smart people do. But if you look a little closer, peer a little deeper, you’ll find that strength and success comes from the refreshing simplicity of finding people and places that both challenge and support you. Best said in Prat’s own words, “Success is what you want it to be.”
To learn more about Dr. Prat, visit her website at https://www.chantelprat.com