Todd S. Braver

Todd Braver is a Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Radiology, and Neuroscience; and the William R. Stuckenberg Professor in Human Values and Moral Development at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a cognitive neuroscientist investigating attention, working memory, and cognitive control using a variety of research methods, including behavioral analysis, functional neuroimaging, individual differences, special populations, and computational modeling.   

Braver's research examines the psychological and neural mechanisms by which people actively maintain information – such as goals, instructions, plans, or specific prior events – for short periods of time, and then use this information to appropriately guide and control their behavior.  He is interested in individual differences in these abilities, and how they interact with affect and motivation. A current line of research examines how mindfulness training impacts cognitive control and psychological function, using behavioral and brain imaging measures as well as naturalistic assessments.  

Braver is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Society of Experimental Psychologists.

He received a B.S. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego; and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Carnegie Mellon University.