Dr. Adam Gazzaley obtained an MD and a PhD in neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, completed neurology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and had postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at UC Berkeley. He is now the David Dolby Distinguished Professor in Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry at UCSF and the founder/executive director of Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center engaged in technology creation and scientific research. He designs and develops novel brain assessment and optimization tools to impact education, wellness, and medical practices. This novel approach involves the development of custom-designed, closed-loop video games integrated with the latest advancements in software (brain-computer interfaces, GPU computing, cloud-based analytics) and hardware (virtual/augmented reality, motion capture, mobile physiological recording devices, transcranial electrical brain stimulation). These technologies are then advanced to rigorous research studies that evaluate their impact on multiple aspects of brain function and physiology. This utilizes a powerful combination of neurophysiological tools, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Dr. Gazzaley is also co-founder and chief science advisor of Akili Interactive Labs, a company developing therapeutic video games, and co-founder and chief scientist of JAZZ Venture Partners, a venture capital firm investing in experiential technology to improve human performance. Additionally, he has been a scientific advisor for over a dozen companies, including Apple, GE, Nielsen, Deloitte, Magic Leap, and the VOID, as well as the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. Dr. Gazzaley has filed multiple patents, authored over 130 scientific articles, and delivered over 600 invited presentations around the world. His research and perspectives have been consistently profiled in high-impact media, and he wrote and hosted the nationally-televised PBS special “The Distracted Mind with Dr. Adam Gazzaley.” He also co-authored with Dr. Larry Rosen The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World, winner of a 2017 PROSE Award.