Brian Willoughby, University of Minnesota
Brian Willoughby is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. Brian is originally from Wisconsin and received his bachelor's degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University with a minor in Marriage, Family and Human Development. Brian received his master's degree in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. Before attending graduate school, Brian worked as an autism therapist and as a mentor for at-risk adolescent boys. His major research interests including: premarital relationship development and formation, premarital predictors of marital success, marriage education and the interplay between attitudes and behavior. Brian has also studied risk-taking during emerging adulthood and is particularly interested in how behaviors, attitudes, and relationships during emerging adulthood influence later marital and family formation. Bran is currently involved in several research projects including a federally funded project investigating how mentors can help low-income unmarried parents improve their relationships and a multi-site project dedicated to exploring several avenues of emerging adulthood development. Recent publications have focused on marital education and the link between marital attitudes and emerging adulthood behavior. Brian currently lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and three children.