Rae Jillian Rivera

Rae Jillian Rivera Headshot
Imagineer, Interactive Technology with Walt Disney Imagineering 
Adjunct Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts
B.S., Electrical & Computer Engineering Technology, 2019

Rivera is a software developer and creative technologist whose career reads like a dream at the crossroads of imagination and innovation. Since joining Walt Disney Imagineering in 2017, she has been part of the teams behind some of the most ambitious and beloved attractions in Disney's history, including rides at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge; WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris; Journey of Water Inspired by Moana at EPCOT; Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea; and the Disney Adventure cruise ship for Singapore. Working with Imagineering's interactive attractions team, Rivera merges her expertise across disciplines to bring the impossible to life. She also shares her knowledge as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California, where she brings her industry experience into the classroom. Her path to Imagineering is equally remarkable. She spent three years as an undergraduate biotechnology researcher before joining a startup where she contributed to interplanetary space mission design and flight systems.