She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education; an M.A. from CUNY Brooklyn College in secondary mathematics education; and a B.A. from Columbia University in psychology and mathematics. Her research interests is in the role of mathematics education, specifically mathematics for social justice, in fostering the development of youth as citizens. Before coming to Guttman, Vivian taught courses for mathematics teacher preparation programs at both the University of Pennsylvania and Brooklyn College. She was also formerly a high school mathematics teacher in Brooklyn.