Adam Gazzaley
Adam Gazzaley is a leading neuroscientist, entrepreneur and author currently based at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is one of the world's foremost experts on the interactions between the brain and technology and has authored numerous books, research articles, and other publications discussing this topic.
Gazzaley was born in Jerusalem in 1976 and moved to the United States when he was five years old. Growing up, he was always curious and loved to tinker with technology, leading him to focus on the neuroscience-technology field. Following his passion, he completed his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and computer science at Cornell University in 1998. Thereafter, he received his PhD in neuroscience from UC Berkeley in 2003, which was focused on how the brain processes visual information.
Gazzaley's pioneering work has earned him numerous awards and recognitions, including the 2015 American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions, the 2016 NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, the 2019 Association for Psychological Science William James Fellow Award, and the 2019 Royal Swedish Academy of Science Medal in Neurotechnology.
Gazzaley has held numerous roles during his career. He is a professor in the Departments of Neurology and Physiology, Director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center, and co-Director of the UCSF Center for Neurotechnology and Neuroscience Imaging (CNTR) at UCSF. Additionally, he has established a clinical practice, Neuroscape, which is focused on the development of evidence-based digital therapeutics.
Outside of academia, Gazzaley is an entrepreneur and author. In 2011 he co-founded Akili Interactive Labs, a pharmaceutical-grade software development and research company. In 2015, Akili received approval for its first neuro-therapeutic software called Project: Evo. He has also co-authored two books, The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World, and Designing and Engineering of Mind: How the Brain Works and How We Can Harness Its Power, both of which describe his life's work at the intersection of neurotechnology and the mind.
Looking to the future, Gazzaley is currently working on multiple projects to further bridge the gap between neuroscience and technology. One of the projects is the award-winning video game NeuroRacer, an experimental video game designed to assess and improve attentional control. Additionally, he is working on a virtual reality project, ReTact, which focuses on creating immersive experiences and training exercises to improve multitasking and executive control.
Overall, Gazzaley's works have greatly advanced our understanding of the interaction between brain and technology, as well as providing essential tools for leveraging the brain's power to improve cognitive and social-emotional functioning. Through his books, research and entrepreneurial engagements, Gazzaley is on the cutting-edge of neuroscience and technology research, enhancing our knowledge of how the brain works, and how it can be used to bring about positive change.
