Scott Frey
Performance Neuroscientist
Dr. Scott Frey founded Cerebral Performance to bring his decades of cognitive neuroscience research to the forefront of athletic performance.
In 1993, Dr. Frey earned his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Cornell University–an Ivy League institution with the oldest psychology department in North America, and headed off to his first faculty job.
Looking back now through the lens of his expertise in neuroscience and psychology, Frey recognizes that his success in navigating some very formidable challenges was not only good luck. Through trial and plentiful error, he stumbled on a variety of techniques and strategies that have proven efficacy in creating habits, increasing motivation, and achieving goals.
After 30 successful years that included producing a significant amount of original research, training numerous young scientists from around the globe, and leading two brain imaging research centers and a PhD program, he elected to leave academia. At the pinnacle of his career, he closed his lab, resigned his position as an endowed Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, and set off on a new adventure that evolved into his business Cerebral Performance.
Cerebral Performance grew out of two frustrations. First, there is the nearly complete neglect of the brain by traditional sport science (including sport psychology). We act as though everything that matters in performance happens from the neck down, which is demonstrably false. In the modern era, we would never hire a coach that knew nothing about exercise physiology. Yet, the vast majority of coaches and sport scientists are uninformed about the system that is in charge of all behavior—the brain. The other frustration for Frey is seeing promising discoveries with direct implications for improving performance fade silently in university libraries. He is convinced that the greatest breakthroughs in athletic performance over the next decade will come from the brain and psychological sciences.
