UT Dallas logo Nexus Newsletter - School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Nexus Newsletter
 

Faculty Profile: Dr. Richard Golden

Richard Golden, PhD

Dr. Richard Golden, professor of cognitive science, did his undergraduate work in electrical engineering and psychology at the University of California, San Diego. While there, he interacted with researchers studying artificial neural network models of human cognition. “I wanted to apply the tools of electrical engineering to the problem of understanding the brain and the mind,” Golden said.

After earning a master’s in electrical engineering and a doctoral degree in experimental psychology from Brown University, Golden was an Andrew Mellon Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh and a National Institute of Health post-doctoral scholar at Stanford University. In 1990, Golden joined UT Dallas and the School of Behavoral and Brain Sciences to continue his work in developing mathematical models of cognition.

Golden’s current research interests involve both the development of new mathematical modeling methodologies and their application to various problems in cognitive neuroscience. Golden is particularly interested in studying human text comprehension to understand how people comprehend complex events and situations. Such research has important applications, for example, in education or website design by characterizing what aspects of a text are remembered.

Golden serves as the program head of the Undergraduate Cognitive Science program and the Master in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience program.

“Both programs provide a great opportunity for students who are interested in a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the mind and the brain,” Golden said. “Students interested in careers in areas such as cognitive neuroscience, usability engineering or artificial intelligence should seriously consider the Cognitive Science major.”

Golden teaches an undergraduate research projects course and undergraduate courses in the areas of mathematical modeling. He is the author of “Mathematical Methods for Neural Network Analysis and Design” (MIT Press, 1996).

 

The University of Texas at Dallas | School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
800 W. Campbell Rd., GR 41 | Richardson, TX 75080 | 972-883-2355 | bbs.utdallas.edu