Michelle L. Rivers

I am an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Santa Clara University, where I study how students learn and help them grow through teaching and mentorship in psychological science.

My research lies at the intersection of cognitive psychology and education. Drawing on theories of learning and memory, I examine how learners assess what they know, how those metacognitive judgments shape their study decisions, and how instructional practices can support more effective, self-regulated learning. My work has appeared in journals including Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, Memory & Cognition, and Educational Psychology Review and has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the American Psychological Association, and the Psychonomic Society.

Beyond the lab and classroom, I am passionate about science communication and community building. I founded CogBites, a collaborative blog that supports early-career researchers in making cognitive science accessible to broader audiences.