 She first came to the United States as part of a high school delegation, returning a year later to attend college.She received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage, a master's degree in Cognitive and Developmental Psychology from Emory University, and a PhD and second master's degree in Human Experimental Psychology from Cornell University.Viorica Marian was the last graduate student and mentee of American psychologist Ulric Neisser, widely regarded as the “Father of Cognitive Psychology.” While at Cornell, Marian married Dutch computer scientist Dr. Aswin Aalt van den Berg, together they have three daughters.