Dan is a Professor of Psychology and the Francis Chair at The University of Texas at Dallas. He also serves as the Acting Deputy Director of the Center for BrainHealth®. He is a cognitive neuroscientist holding a PhD in psychology.  

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For over thirty years, Dan’s research has focused on understanding human reasoning through a multidisciplinary approach that includes cognitive psychology, eye-tracking, brain imaging, and brain stimulation. His work spans a wide range of topics, including:

• The nature of human values

• Decision making

• Cognitive improvement

• Money and the brain

• Perspective-taking

• Art and the brain

 

Dan grew up on Grand Island, New York, just upriver from Niagara Falls. Raised in a family of educators, he developed an early passion for research and learning. While attending Fredonia State University in New York, he discovered a love for scientific inquiry, immersing himself in psychology, biology, and neuroscience.

He earned his Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from UCLA, an innovative field at the intersection of psychology and brain science. Dan continued his research at the University of California, Berkeley, in the lab of Dr. Mark D’Esposito, where he investigated how the brain manages working memory and responds to incentives such as financial rewards and losses.

 

In addition to publishing peer-reviewed scientific articles, Dan has written for broader audiences. In 2017, he authored Reasoning: The Neuroscience of How We Think, a 13-chapter guide offering an integrative view of reasoning based on neuroscience, psychology, development, biology, and technology. In 2019, he co-authored Understanding Behavioral BIA$: A Guide to Improving Financial Decision Making with fund manager George Baxter.

 

Dan is passionate about sharing science with diverse audiences through speaking, writing, and media. His current interests include finance, art, health, values, and expert human performance. He co-hosted the Mental Model$ podcast from 2018 to 2021 and has appeared in many media outlets.