About

Dr. Brian Rivera

I am a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at St. Olaf College. I’m originally from northern Mexico (Chihuahua), I then moved to Los Angeles where I attended high school before completing my undergraduate degree at Franklin and Marshall College. There, I competed in Track and Field while majoring in Scientific and Philosophical Studies of the Mind.

Research Background

I earned my PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Alabama, with a concentration in Educational Neuroscience, where I used EEG and fMRI to investigate the development of numerical cognition. I subsequently worked on the Baby’s First Years study at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, researching how poverty affects brain development in early childhood.

This diverse background—spanning philosophical inquiry, neuroscientific research, educational psychology, and developmental studies—provides me with a unique interdisciplinary perspective on neuroscience, learning and development. My research interests focus on numerical cognition, and I brings this integrative approach to my teaching, to help students understand the brain through multiple lenses.

Personal Interests

When not in the classroom or lab, I enjoy thinking about the brain, playing chess, watching movies, and spending time with my English Bulldog (Gus). Along time ago, I used to be a magician, although I am retired now, it continues to influence how I think about attention, perception, and the unexpected!