Brian received his B.A. in Business Economics from Brown University, M.S. in Neuroscience and Education from Teachers College at Columbia University, and Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University. Brian has broad interests within social, cognitive and affective science, with his work spanning the effects of anxiety, stress and fear on neural functioning, learning, behavior and memory, to motivational influences on digital behaviors. Brian was the recipient of several awards during his PhD work, and has published empirical and theoretical works in top-tier journals, including Nature and Trends in Cognitive Science.

Prior to his academic career, Brian spent nearly two decades in investment banking and consulting, most recently as a principal for a merchant bank, where he advised and invested in dozens of transactions across a diverse set of industries and investment stages, and as an entrepreneur co-founded several technology companies.

As a result of his diverse and extensive experience across academia, educational settings, business and technology, Brian is uniquely positioned to understand and apply concepts and tools from business, technology, and modern psychological theory to effect positive change in real world settings.