BrainMind Special Forum: Neuromodulation + BCI + AI, June 2-3, 2024
BrainMind Special Forum: Neuromodulation + BCI + AI, June 2-3, 2024
On June 2-3, 2024, world-renowned experts will take us to the forefront of cognitive innovation. Delve into the rapidly evolving landscapes of neuromodulation, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), and the interaction of artificial and biological intelligence. Immerse yourself in cutting-edge technologies that are transforming lives — enabling people to walk again, talk again, see again, and hear again. Not only are these scientific breakthroughs restoring function, they are offering transformative potential for mental health and human performance. Join us to see how these discoveries are decoding the brain and mind and redefining our relationship with technology for decades to come.
BrainMind gatherings are meticulously curated, bringing together select groups of visionaries, including top-tier investors, prolific philanthropists, trailblazing entrepreneurs, and groundbreaking researchers. We are all driven by a shared passion to unravel the mysteries of the human brain and harness this knowledge for the greater good.
BrainMind is designed to be a self-supporting platform for the advancement of brain-oriented ideas to humanity. By joining us at the benefactor or patron level, you are directly supporting a young artist or scientist’s work at this gathering. In the conference, scholarships are available for artists and scientists on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Diana Saville (dsaville@brainmind.org) if you would like to apply.
BrainMind is a best-in-class community with a shared mission to advance neuroscience innovation that will most benefit humanity.
Participants will explore a curated collection of cutting-edge discoveries in the science of the brain and mind, engage with the scientists behind those ideas, and advise promising early-stage companies - all with the goal of bringing brain science to the world at scale. Attendees are personally selected for their brilliance, effectiveness, sincerity, and intent.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Awe-inspiring short talks from the world's top brain researchers and entrepreneurs
Opportunities to break bread with speakers in small group settings
A chance to discover and advise high-impact companies in the BrainMind space
Discussions on creating a roadmap for philanthropic ventures in brain science
Expert-led breakout discussions on topics like bioelectronic medicine, neural interfaces, wearable technology, machine learning, neurostimulation, and more
Live neuroscience-inspired multisensory performances
A hands-on space to explore neurotechnology
Immersive art exhibitions
HOSTS
SPEAKERS
Speakers at BrainMind are chosen for their uniquely disruptive contributions to their respective fields. All speakers are available to engage with participants. Speakers delivering mainstage talks also host intimate roundtable discussions over lunch and during the afternoon program.
Speakers for the Brain Special Forum on Neuromodulation + BCI + AI include:
Reid is a Silicon Valley stalwart in the modern technology world.
An accomplished entrepreneur and executive, he played an integral role in building many of today’s leading consumer technology businesses, including LinkedIn and PayPal. As an investor, he has been instrumental in the success of iconic companies such as Facebook and Airbnb and has helped fast-growing startups like Aurora and Convoy get to scale.
Reid joined Greylock in 2009 and focuses on early-stage investing in products that can reach hundreds of millions of participants. His unique understanding of consumer behavior and a clear-eyed ability to guide startups from inception through ramped-up “blitzscaling” has made him one of the most sought-after advisors, partners, and investors today. Reid was a board observer for Airbnb and currently serves as a board director for Aurora, Blockstream, Coda, Entrepreneur First, Inflection, Joby Aviation, Microsoft, Nauto, and a few early-stage companies still in stealth.
Reid’s core focus is on businesses with network effects. In 2003, he co-founded LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network that today has more than 700 million members and a diversified revenue model that includes subscriptions, advertising, and software licensing. Before LinkedIn, Reid served as executive vice president at PayPal, where he was a founding board member and responsible for all of the company’s external relationships.
Reid is a frequent public speaker, known for his approachability and skill at explaining complex topics with lucidity. He is the co-author of Blitzscaling and two New York Times best-selling books: The Start-up of You and The Alliance and Masters of Scale. He also hosts the podcast Masters of Scale.
A California native, Reid spent most of his life in the Bay Area. He earned a B.S. with distinction in symbolic systems from Stanford University and then earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Oxford University. He has honorary doctorate degrees from Babson University and the University of Oulu.
Beyond startups and technology, Reid has a wide range of interests, including politics, board games, science fiction, philosophy, and philanthropy. He serves on several not-for-profit boards, including Kiva, Endeavor, CZI Biohub, the Berggruen Institute, New America, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, and the MacArthur Foundation’s Lever for Change. Reid has received various awards for his philanthropic work, including an honorary CBE from the Queen of England and the Salute to Greatness Award from the Martin Luther King Center.
His foundational thesis of the power of networks extends beyond marketplaces and social ecosystems. Recently, it has led to his investments in sectors including autonomous transportation, cryptocurrency, and shipping logistics.
Reid Hoffman, Greylock
Future of AI, Scaling Social Impact
Polina Anikeeva received her BS in physics from St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University in 2003 and a PhD in materials science and engineering from MIT in 2009. She completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University, where she created devices for optical stimulation and recording from brain circuits. She joined the MIT faculty in 2011. She serves as the director of the K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and is an associate director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics. Professor Polina Anikeeva’s group draws inspiration from neurobiology to create minimally invasive materials and devices to interface with the nervous system. Professor Anikeeva’s Bioelectronics Group develops multifunctional, multimaterial fibers that enable optical, electrical, and chemical interfaces with neurons in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral organs. These fiber-based probes empower neuroscience research by permitting recording and manipulation of neural activity. Taking advantage of low conductivity and negligible permeability of biological matter to weak magnetic fields, the research group designs and synthesizes a range of magnetic nanomaterials capable of transducing remote magnetic signals to stimuli perceived by biological receptors. To date, magnetic nanomaterials have enabled magnetothermal, magnetomechanical, and chemomagnetic modulation of neurons in vivo. The technologies developed in the Bioelectronics Group are advancing the fundamental neuroscience of brain-organ communication and paving the way to minimally invasive treatments of neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Polina Anikeeva, MIT
Bioelectronics for Brain and Body
Ed Boyden is Y. Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology at MIT, an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the MIT McGovern Institute, and professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Media Arts and Sciences, and Biological Engineering at MIT. He leads the Synthetic Neurobiology Group, which develops tools for analyzing and repairing complex biological systems, such as the brain, and applies them systematically to reveal ground truth principles of biological function and to repair these systems. These inventions include optogenetic tools, which enable control of neural activity with light; expansion microscopy, which enables ordinary microscopes to do nanoimaging; new tools for high-speed imaging of living biological signals and networks; noninvasive brain stimulation strategies that may help with conditions ranging from Alzheimer's to blindness; and new strategies for inexpensively creating 3-D nanotechnology. He co-directs the MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering and the MIT K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics, and is a faculty member of the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Computational & Systems Biology Initiative, and Koch Institute. Amongst other recognitions, he has received the Wilhelm Exner Medal (2020), the Croonian Medal (2019), the Lennart Nilsson Award (2019), the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize (2019), the Rumford Prize (2019), the Canada Gairdner International Award (2018), the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2016), the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2015), the Carnegie Prize in Mind and Brain Sciences (2015), the Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award (2013), the Grete Lundbeck Brain Prize (2013), the NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2013), and the Perl/UNC Neuroscience Prize (2011). He was named to the World Economic Forum Young Scientist list (2013) and the Technology Review World’s "Top 35 Innovators under Age 35" list (2006), and is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences (2019), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2017), the National Academy of Inventors (2017), and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2018). His group has hosted hundreds of visitors to learn how to use new biotechnologies, and he also regularly teaches at summer courses and workshops in neuroscience, and delivers lectures to the broader public (e.g., TED (2011), TED Summit (2016), World Economic Forum (2012, 2013, 2016)).
Ed Boyden, MIT
Tools for Repairing and Simulating the Brain
Dr. Williams is an Associate Professor within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab. Dr. Williams has a broad background in clinical neuroscience and is triple board-certified in general neurology, general psychiatry, as well as behavioral neurology & neuropsychiatry. In addition, he has specific training and clinical expertise in the development of brain stimulation methodologies. Themes of his work include (a) examining the use of spaced learning theory in the application of neurostimulation techniques, (b) development and mechanistic understanding of rapid-acting antidepressants, and (c) identifying objective biomarkers that predict neuromodulation responses in treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric conditions. Dr. Williams' work has resulted in an FDA clearance for the world's first non-invasive, rapid-acting neuromodulation approach for treatment-resistant depression. He has published papers in high-impact peer-reviewed journals including Brain, American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Results from his studies have gained widespread attention in journals such as Science and New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch as well as in the popular press and have been featured in various news sources including Time, Smithsonian, and Newsweek. Dr. Williams received two NARSAD Young Investigator Awards in 2016 and 2018 along with the 2019 Gerald L. Klerman Award. Dr. Williams received the National Institute of Mental Health Biobehavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientists in 2020.
Nolan Williams, Stanford
Need for Speed: How to Match Acuity of Illness to Speed of Effect for Brain Therapeutics
Ana Maiques is a prominent business and innovation figure, whose impact and influence in the fields of entrepreneurship and neuroscience are undeniable. As a co-founder of Neuroelectrics, a company with a bold vision to transform our interaction with the brain through the development of pioneering technologies to monitor and stimulate this vital organ, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership and inspiration.
Under her leadership at Neuroelectrics, the company has achieved remarkable accomplishments, including recognition as one of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in 2016 in the United States, awarded by Entrepreneur magazine. Her impressive career has been acknowledged on multiple occasions, including the prestigious Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs award by Goldman Sachs at the 2022 Builders and Innovators Summit, as well as the distinguished European Union Prize for Women Innovators from the European Commission in 2014, and the title of Most Inspiring Women on the Inspiring Fifty list in Europe for two consecutive years in 2015 and 2016.
In addition to her significant role at Neuroelectrics, Ana Maiques is an active figure in the innovation scene, both in Europe and the United States. She is a permanent member of the European Innovation Council Advisory Board and became a Termeer Fellow at the Henri Termeer Foundation in 2018, reflecting her commitment to scientific and technological advancement.
Equally important is her role as a co-founder of EsTech, a platform for Spanish scale-ups and unicorns dedicated to fostering the growth of innovative companies. Her vision and leadership are fundamental to the realization of this ambitious mission.
Undoubtedly, Ana Maiques is a passionate advocate for gender equality in STEM fields. Her commitment extends beyond business and into creating opportunities for more women to participate in these fields. Through her dedication to Neuroelectrics, she has demonstrated that business success and the promotion of scientific advancements can go hand in hand. Ana is dedicated to business ethics and remains determined to break down barriers and promote a brighter future in science and technology.
Ana Maiques, Neuroelectrics
Unlocking the Future of Psychiatry: How Can Neurotwins Transform Personalized Neuromodulation Therapies?
David Chalmers is a prominent figure in contemporary philosophy, especially known for his work in the philosophy of mind. Born in Australia in 1966, Chalmers developed an early interest in the nature of consciousness, a topic that has dominated his academic pursuits. He earned his undergraduate degree in pure mathematics at the University of Adelaide before transitioning to philosophy for his graduate studies, earning a Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1993. His doctoral dissertation laid the groundwork for his first book, "The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory," published in 1996, which argued against the physicalist account of consciousness and introduced the "hard problem" of consciousness—the question of why and how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experiences. Chalmers's introduction of the "hard problem" has significantly shaped discussions in the philosophy of mind, making him a central figure in debates over the nature of consciousness. Beyond the hard problem, he has also contributed to the fields of philosophy of language and metaphysics, exploring topics such as the concept of information, the nature of reality, and the philosophical implications of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Chalmers has held academic positions at various prestigious institutions, including the University of Arizona and the Australian National University. He is also a co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at New York University. His work continues to influence not only philosophers but also researchers in cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience, bridging disciplinary divides to explore one of the most perplexing questions: what is consciousness?
David Chalmers, NYU
Extending Consciousness Beyond the Brain
Maryam M. Shanechi is Dean’s Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Southern California (USC). She is also Founding Director of the newly established USC Center for Neurotechnology. She received her B.A.Sc. degree in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto, her S.M. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, and her postdoctoral training in Neural Engineering and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and UC Berkeley. She conducts research at the intersection of engineering, computation, and neuroscience to develop closed-loop neurotechnology and study the brain through decoding and control of neural dynamics. She is the recipient of several awards including the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, NSF CAREER Award, ONR Young Investigator Award, ASEE’s Curtis W. McGraw Research Award, MIT Technology Review’s Top 35 Innovators Under 35, Popular Science Brilliant 10, Science News SN10, One Mind Rising Star Award, and a DoD Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Award. She was named a 2023 Blavatnik National Awards Finalist and is a Fellow of the IEEE.
Maryam Shanechi, USC
AI-based Neurotechnology
Dr. Kafui Dzirasa is the first African American to complete a PhD in Neurobiology at Duke University. His research interests focus on understanding how changes in the brain produce neurological and mental illness. Kafui obtained an MD from the Duke University School of Medicine in 2009 and completed residency training in General Psychiatry in 2016. Kafui was featured on CBS 60 Minutes and has been awarded the One Mind Rising Star Award and the Sydney Baer Prize for Schizophrenia Research. In 2017, he was recognized as 40 under 40 in Health by the National Minority Quality Forum, and the Engineering Alumni of the Year from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Kafui was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE): the nation’s highest award for scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. He has also been recognized with the Alan Leshner Public Engagement Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award. He has served on the Editorial Advisory Board for TEDMED and currently serves on the Advisory Committee for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director. Kafui is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator.
Kafui Dzirasa, Duke University, The Collective for Psychiatric Neuroengineering
Pawsitive Influence: Towards a New Neuroscience Enterprise
Elena Koustova, PhD, MBA, is currently leading a team of superheroes focused on delivering the technical solutions to the opioid crisis at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the NIH. She coordinates NIDA’s multimillion small business programs, establishes the strategic partnerships in areas of product development, entrepreneurship, translational research, innovation and technology transfer, and manages NIDA’s Challenge program through the prize authority. NIDA’s support resulted in creating the thriving community of entrepreneurs engaged in development of diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices, including diagnostic tests and digital health technologies to help combat the opioid crisis and achieve the goal of preventing and treating substance use disorders.
Elena Koustova, NIH/NIDA
Innovating on Funding for Innovation
Dr. Hochberg’s research focuses on the development and testing of novel neurotechnologies to help people with paralysis and other neurologic disorders, and on understanding cortical neuronal ensemble activities. As IDE Sponsor-Investigator, Principal Investigator and lead Clinical Investigator of the pilot clinical trials of the BrainGate2 Neural Interface System, he has been honored with the Joseph Martin Prize in Basic Research, the Herbert Pardes Prize for Excellence in Clinical Research, and the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Neurological Association, and has received grant awards from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the ALS Association, the American Heart Association, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institutes of Health (NIDCD and BRAIN Intitiative/NINDS). Dr. Hochberg’s research has been published in leading journals such as Nature and the Journal of Neuroscience. He received his Sc.B. with Honors in Neural Science from Brown University in 1990. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Emory University in 1999, where he was continued an intern in Internal Medicine. He was a resident and Chief Resident in Neurology at MGH/BWH/Harvard Medical School, where he also completed a fellowship in Stroke/Neurocritical Care in 2004.
Leigh Hochberg, Brown University
BrainGate: Implantable BCIs for the Restoration of Communication and Mobility
Heather Berlin is a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and associate clinical professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She explores the neural basis of impulsive and compulsive psychiatric and neurological conditions with the goal of developing novel treatments. She is also interested in the brain basis of consciousness, dynamic unconscious processes, and creativity.
Berlin is a committee member of the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a passionate science communicator. She hosts the Nova series “Your Brain”, and has hosted series on PBS and Discovery Channel. She makes regular appearances on StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and has appeared on the BBC, History Channel, Netflix, and National Geographic. She co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway show, Off the Top, about the neuroscience of improvisation, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival show, Impulse Control.
Heather received her D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, and Master of Public Health from Harvard University, and trained in clinical neuropsychology at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Neurological Surgery. She was a visiting scholar at the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, and a Visiting Professor at Vassar College, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology/University of Zurich, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Heather Berlin, Mount Sinai
What Does It Mean To Be Human in the Age of AI?
Michael McCullough, M.D., M.Sc. is the Founder of BrainMind. He is an EIR at Greylock Partners, impact investor and Partner at Capricorn Healthcare, social entrepreneur, and emergency room professor at UCSF. Michael’s personal interest in the brain extends from a childhood brain hemorrhage which resulted in hydrocephalus and a severe stutter, partially corrected by brain surgery at age 10 and requiring Michael to retrain himself to speak through high school and early college at Stanford. Accomplishing fluent speech also required extensive biofeedback and meditation practice. After returning from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, Michael co-founded QuestBridge during free hours in medical school at UCSF and his surgical residency at Stanford. QuestBridge, a national non-profit, now places more talented low-income students into top colleges like Stanford, Yale, Caltech, and MIT than all other non-profits combined. Michael has since founded or co-founded 12 successful companies and non-profits.
Michael is a founder of RegenMed Systems, a co-founding investor of HeartFlow, and on the founding board of 2U -- all top performing impact investments. Michael also served/serves on the boards of the Metabiota, the Global Leadership Incubator, QuestBridge, and the Dalai Lama Foundation among others, and serves as an on-call ER physician for the Dalai Lama during his visits to the West Coast.
Michael McCullough, BrainMind
BrainMind Today and Beyond
Dr. Karen S. Rommelfanger is a neurotech ethicist and strategist. She is founder and director of the Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx), the first think tank wholly dedicated to neuroethics. IoNx works with builders, decision-makers, and users to enable trusted neuroscience for all. Her lab, the Neuroethics and Neurotech Innovation Collaboratory explores how evolving neuroscience challenges societal definitions of disease and wellness, cross-cultural neuroethics, and cross-sectoral neuroethics policy. Her boutique consultancy Ningen Neuroethics Co-Lab works specifically on applied neuroethics and strategy. Dr. Rommelfanger maintains a professorship in Emory University’s Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She received her PhD in neuroscience and postdoctoral training in neuroscience, neural engineering, and neuroethics. Her scholarship has been published in high impact journals such as Nature, Neuron, and PNAS and she co-edited the Handbook of Neuroethics. She serves as the first neuroethicist editor at Neuron, served as senior editor of the American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience and executive board member of the International Neuroethics Society. In recognition of her neuroethics stewardship in the neuroscience community, she was appointed to the US National Institute of Health (NIH) BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ELSI Neurotechnology Panel, and the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine working group on focused on responsible innovation of neuroscience in Southeast Asia. She has consulted for the OECD’s implementation guidance for the first international standard in responsible innovation for neurotechnology and served as rapporteur for the Council of Europe to assess proposal for novel neurorights. Dedicated to cross-cultural work in neuroethics, she co-chaired of the Global Neuroethics Workgroup of the International Brain Initiative, a consortium of large-scale national-level brain research projects and served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council. She is a frequent contributor and commentator in national and international media on neuroethics strategy, neurotech innovation, and policy.
Karen Rommelfanger, Ningen Neuroethics Co-Lab, Institute of Neuroethics Think and Do Tank
Designing Ethical Neurofutures
Amy Baxter is an esteemed academic physician entrepreneur renowned for her innovative work in pain management and medical technology. As CEO and CMO of Pain Care Labs, she leads the development of groundbreaking thermomechanical neuromodulatory pain relievers like VibraCool and Buzzy, which address critical aspects of the opioid crisis and vaccine nonadherence. With NIH-funded research spanning opioid prevention devices to needle phobia, Amy has been at the forefront of medical innovation. Recognized globally for her contributions, she continues to advocate for patient-centric approaches and remains dedicated to revolutionizing pain management and healthcare as a whole.
Amy Baxter, Pain Care Labs
Mechanical Neuromodulation: Trust The Force
Paul Sajda is Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Radiology (Physics) at Columbia University. He is also a Member of Columbia’s Data Science Institute. Sajda is interested in what happens in our brains when we make a rapid decision and, conversely, what processes and representations in our brains drive our underlying preferences and choices, particularly when we are under time pressure. His work in understanding the basic principles of rapid decision-making in the human brain relies on measuring human subject behavior simultaneously with cognitive and physiological state. Important in his approach is his use of machine learning and data analytics to fuse these measurements for predicting behavior and infer brain responses to stimuli. Sajda applies the basic principles he uncovers to construct real-time brain-computer interfaces that are aimed at improving interactions between humans and machines. He is also applying his methodology to understand how deficits in rapid decision-making may underlie and be diagnostic of many types of psychiatric diseases and mental illnesses. Of particular interest to Sajda is how different areas in the human brain interact to change our arousal state and modulate our decision-making. Specifically he is using simultaneous EEG and fMRI together with pupillometry to identify and track spatiotemporal interactions between the anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and subcortical nuclei such as the locus coeruleus. He has found that the dynamics of these interactions are altered under stress, particularly when dealing with high-pressure decisions with critical performance boundaries. These findings are being transitioned to applications ranging from to tracking pilot cognitive state while operating fighter aircraft to identifying biomarkers of healthy thought patterns in patients being treated for major depressive disorder and/or complicated grief. Sajda is a co-founder of several neurotechnology companies and works closely with a range of scientists and engineers, including neuroscientists, psychologists, computer scientists, and clinicians.
Paul Sajda, Columbia University
Feeling better with *NSYNC"
Doris Tsao is a distinguished neuroscientist specializing in primate vision. Renowned for her groundbreaking work in utilizing fMRI-guided electrodes to investigate visual processing in monkeys, she is best known for her discovery of the macaque face patch system, a vital model for understanding object recognition in the brain. Graduating from Caltech with majors in biology and math, she earned her PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University in 2002. After leading independent research at the University of Bremen, she joined Caltech in 2009 and attained full professorship in 2014. Recognized as an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2015, her accolades include the Eppendorf and Science International Prize in Neurobiology, Technology Review TR35, NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, Golden Brain Award, and the MacArthur Fellowship. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, her research focuses on deciphering the brain's representation of the visual world, particularly in understanding facial recognition and the neural encoding of object identity. Her lab's pioneering discoveries elucidate the hierarchical organization of face-selective regions in the inferotemporal cortex and shed light on the brain's mechanisms for processing dynamic 3D scenes. With a goal to comprehend the interplay between various brain regions in perception, her long-term objective is to unravel the intricate processes underlying inference in the perception of complex real-world scenes.
Doris Tsao, UC Berkeley
How the Brain Generates Our Consciousness of the World
Thomas J. Oxley is a brain-computer interface specialist and the founder and CEO of Synchron, a neural interface technology company. At Synchron, Oxley is developing an endovascular, implantable brain-computer interface, Stentrode, which aims to provide treatment for patients with debilitating illnesses. The device can record stable brain activity from within a blood vessel and transmit features of motor intent that can drive control of digital consumer devices. Synchron recently completed enrolment its second human clinical trial and is preparing for a pivotal clinical trial ahead of an industry first market approval. Oxley completed his PhD in neuroscience at the University of Melbourne. He completed an endovascular neurosurgery fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He has performed more than 1,600 endovascular neurosurgical procedures and has published more than 130 internationally peer reviewed articles (H-Index 30) in journals including Nature Biotechnology, Nature Biomedical Engineering, New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet.
Thomas Oxley, Synchron, Mount Sinai
Implantable Neurotechnology: A revolution in Medicine Repeating Itself
Helen S. Mayberg, MD, is a neurologist renowned for her study of brain circuits in depression and for her pioneering deep brain stimulation research, which has been heralded as one of the first hypothesis-driven treatment strategies for a major mental illness. She is the founding Director of Mount Sinai Health System's The Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics, a center which advances precision surgical treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders through the rapid conversion of neuroscience and neuroengineering innovations that correct brain circuit abnormalities to restore mood as well as motor and cognitive functioning. As a behavioral neurologist, Dr. Mayberg has established an international reputation for her pioneering research to map the brain circuits implicated in depression. Early in her career, she developed one of the first “network” models for mood disorders—incorporating fundamentals of neuroanatomy and brain connections with imaging technologies—to propose an alternative neurological view of this classical psychiatric condition that extended beyond the neurochemical models that had dominated for decades. Dr. Mayberg received an MD from the University of Southern California. She trained at the Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia University and was a post-doctoral fellow in nuclear medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Immediately prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Mayberg was Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Radiology and held the inaugural Dorothy C. Fuqua Chair in Psychiatric Neuroimaging and Therapeutics at Emory University School of Medicine. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, The American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors.
Helen Mayberg, Mount Sinai
What is Well?
AGENDA
MONDAY, June 3rd, 2024
DAY 2: NEUROMODULATION + BCI + AI
8:00 AM Breakfast & Registration, Experiential NeuroLab opens
9:00 AM Welcome and Musical Performance
9:10 AM Plenary Session
9:40 AM Tai Chi with Cari Shurman
11:25 AM Qigong with William Spear
12:30 PM Lunch with Speakers
1:45 PM Immersive Experience
2:15 PM Breakout Discussions
4:00 PM Fireside Chat with Reid Hoffman, Sean White, and Michael McCullough
5:00 PM Closing Reception
6:00 PM Close
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SUNDAY, June 2nd, 2024
DAY 1: NEUROMODULATION + BCI + AI
8:00 AM Breakfast & Registration, Experiential NeuroLab opens
9:00 AM Welcome and Musical Performance
9:10 AM Plenary Session
9:40 AM Tai Chi with Cari Shurman
11:30 AM Qigong with William Spear
12:30 PM Lunch with Speakers
1:40 PM Entrepreneur Spotlight
3:00 PM Breakout Discussions
4:30 PM Musical Performance
4:50 PM Day 1 Summary
5:00PM Reception
6:30 PM A Feast of Ideas: Dine with BrainMind Experts
PARTICIPANTS
BrainMind Special Events are invite-only. All participants are members of the BrainMind ecosystem and are carefully selected for potential contribution, influence, and intent.
ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT
Featured entrepreneurs will present groundbreaking ideas and pose impact-related questions to participants. Spotlight entrepreneurs will also host breakout discussion tables. Our Experiential Neurolab will also feature live demos from neurotech entrepreneurs in the BrainMind Ecosystem.
Previous spotlight entrepreneurs include:
Connor Glass, MD, is the CEO of Phantom Neuro and a trailblazer in human-machine interfacing. He earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and completed a research fellowship in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Johns Hopkins. Here, he focused on neuromuscular microsurgery to control neuropathic pain and enhance intuitive machine control. He has published extensively on nerve injuries and neuromuscular surgery and contributed to the latest edition of the Handbook of Neuroengineering. Driven by his groundbreaking research, he founded Phantom Neuro, aiming to revolutionize the control of robotic prosthetic limbs and exoskeletons through a novel muscle-machine interface that combines implantable sensors with AI to translate EMG signals into robotic movement instantly. His company, which has secured $10M in seed funding and forged key partnerships with institutions like Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab and Blackrock Neurotech, is at the forefront of merging human biology with robotics to significantly improve the quality of life for those with limb impairments.
Connor Glass, Phantom Neuro
Dr. Don Vaughn is a neuroscientist and entrepreneur with extensive experience in product, neurotechnology, and evangelism. Don is committed to using developments in neuroscience and AI to create breakthroughs in mental health and brain function. His research has been featured on ABC, ESPN, TIME magazine, and The Economist. Over a million people have viewed his TEDx talk “neurohacking: rewiring your brain”. He has been an opinion leader for a range of news outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The Economist. Don completed dual degrees from Stanford — a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Economics - and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCLA.
Don Vaughn, Ampa
Meredith Perry is the co-founder and CEO of Elemind Technologies, Inc., a company dedicated to developing noninvasive neurotechnologies that enhance sleep, attention, and the overall human experience. Before establishing Elemind, Meredith founded uBeam, Inc., where she developed the most advanced ultrasonic transducer, transmitter, and receiver to date. She holds 25 patents, with another five pending. Meredith graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in geology, paleobiology, and astrobiology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011. Her innovative contributions have earned her multiple accolades, including being named twice to the Forbes 30 under 30 list and to the Fortune 40 under 40 Mobilizers list.
Meredith Perry, Elemind Technologies, Inc.
John Donoghue is a Professor of Neuroscience and Engineering at Brown University known for translational work in brain-computer interfaces and fundamental research on cortical information processing. With his collaborators, he developed the first implanted, multielectrode-based BCI (known as ‘BrainGate’). Beginning in the early 2000s they showed people that people with paralysis could use this BCI to control computers, robotic limbs and their own arm. He was the founding Chair of the Brown Neuroscience Department, founding director of the interdisciplinary Carney Institute for Brain Science and the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology. From 2015 to 2019, he led the new Wyss Center for Bio- and Neuro-Engineering in Geneva, Switzerland. Donoghue was a member of the US B.R.A.I.N. Initiative's First Working Group and is currently a fellow of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as several other academies.
John Donoghue, Institute for NeuroElectronic Medicine
Dr. Jay Sanguinetti stands at the intersection of neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and contemplative science. He is a distinguished speaker, scientist, and entrepreneur, as well as a developing meditation teacher. He is the President of Sanmai Technologies, Public Benefit Corporation in Silicon Valley, and the Assistant Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona. Specializing in psychophysiological measures such as EEG, fMRI, and eye-tracking, Dr. Sanguinetti has investigated many domains, including the complex neural dynamics of visual perception, emotion, and mindfulness meditation. He has also explored the neural basis of depression, anxiety, and Parkinson’s Disease. His team is at the cutting edge of neuroscience, exploring innovative forms of brain stimulation, including ultrasound and light-based techniques, to boost memory, perception, and overall well-being. In pioneering work, Dr. Sanguinetti teamed up with the prominent meditation teacher and scholar Shinzen Young to explore science-informed protocols and neurotechnologies to facilitate mindfulness practice. This collaboration gave birth to the Science Enhanced Mindful Awareness (SEMA) lab at the University of Arizona. The SEMA lab is at the forefront of developing science-based mindfulness protocols that lower the barriers to meditation and may help more people experience the benefits of the practice.
Jay Sanguinetti, Sanmai Technologies
Alice Albrecht, founder and CEO of re:collect, boasts a decade-long track record in spearheading and advising teams in the development of AI/ML-driven products. Her expertise spans roles at prominent firms like Simple Finance and Cloudera's Fast Forward Labs. Additionally, she holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Yale University.
Alice Albrecht, re:collect
BREAKOUT DISCUSSIONS
Roundtables with 8-12 participants convene around preselected BrainMind topics with brilliant subject matter experts who are leaders in their respective fields. The breakouts are designed to encourage conversation and collaboration with presenters and other great minds.
Previous discussion modules include:
BREAKOUT LEADERS
SUNDAY BREAKOUT LEADERS
John Ngai, PhD (NIH BRAIN Initiative)
The BRAIN Initiative: Laying the Foundation for Future Cures
Join a key discussion with John Ngai, Director of the US BRAIN Initiative, as he outlines the future of this transformative program. With foundational resources like brain atlases and disease models in motion, we are at a critical juncture in neuromodulation and BCI. Discover the potential of increased access to FDA-approved devices, AI advancements, and new biomarkers in revolutionizing neuropsychiatric therapeutics. The BrainMind ecosystem has a role to play in scaling these innovations—don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of neuroscience.
Sridevi V. Sarma, PhD (Johns Hopkins University)
Novel Treatments for Epilepsy and Chronic Pain
NeuroTech Harbor (NTH) is an NIH-funded BluePrint Hub dedicated to supporting innovative devices and solutions for treating diseases of the central nervous system. In this talk, I will introduce NTH and its partner, the Center for Innovative NeuroTech Advancement (CINTA), highlighting our collaborative mission. I will showcase eleven projects currently supported by these hubs and outline our strategy to impact over 75 teams with more than $120 million in funding over the next five years.
Nina Vasan, PhD (Stanford)
LLMs for Mental Healthcare: Risks and Opportunities
Examining the impact of AI on mental health requires an understanding of the mixed effects of social media, which has both enhanced connectivity and contributed to risks like anxiety and depression. Collecting stories from users who have interacted with AI in therapeutic settings and daily life reveals the nuanced effects of these technologies on mental well-being. Understanding these personal experiences is essential for guiding the ethical development and implementation of AI technologies in mental health contexts.
Note: Spotlight Entrepreneurs will also lead Breakout Discussion Tables on Sunday
Noninvasive Neurotech & The Future of Electric Medicine
Meredith Perry, Elemind
Augmenting Human Intelligence: Building a Better Bridge Between Humans and Machines
Alice Albrecht, PhD, re:collect
Noninvasive Deep Neuromodulation for Treatment
Jay Sanguinetti, PhD, Sanmai Technologies
The Next Evolution of Human Capability: Merging Humans and Robots
Connor Glass, MD, Phantom Neuro
MONDAY BREAKOUT LEADERS
Rafael Yuste, MD, PhD (Columbia University, Neurorights Foundation); Karen Rommelfanger, PhD (Institute of Neuroethics Think and Do Tank, Ningen Neuroethics Co-Lab); Jamie Daves, MBA (Neurorights Foundation)
The First Brain Data Law Just Passed. What Do You Need to Know – and What’s Next?
It’s essential that leaders in neurotechnology – companies, investors, scientists, and more – know about, and shape, public policy and industry standards. Please join Dr. Rafael Yuste along with Jamie Daves for a behind-the-scenes briefing on the latest developments in US and global regulation and industry practice. This session covers the recent precedent-setting Colorado neurotech legislation, and highlights what’s coming next in the US and around the world. Dr. Karen Rommelfanger will moderate an interactive discussion on strategies all stakeholders can use to navigate the emerging regulatory and industry environments, advance innovation, and foster public trust. Participants will be encouraged to pose questions, share experiences, and engage in debate. This session is a critical opportunity for all stakeholders to learn more, and get involved in determining what comes next.
Michael Lim, MD (Stanford)
Immunotherapy in Neuro-Oncology
This breakout will explore the frontier of brain cancer treatment, where cutting-edge research meets clinical practice. Dr. Lim will discuss how recent innovations in immunotherapy are offering new hope, and transforming treatment approaches for brain tumors. This session will highlight the potential for these advancements to significantly improve patient outcomes and pave the way for future breakthroughs in medical care.
Blake Gurfein, PhD (Humanity Neurotech)
Non-invasive Neurotech for Brain Inflammation and Cancer
Several new neurotech modalities are showing promise for treating brain inflammation, stroke, and brain cancer. Dr. Gurfein will review scientific and commercial advances as they relate to groundbreaking new treatments in neurology, psychiatry, and oncology.
Andre Fenton, PhD (NYU)
EEG for Everyone
Neuroengineering often targets well-resourced communities, yet 1-2% of people globally suffer from epilepsy, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. Astonishingly, 80% of these individuals remain undiagnosed due to a lack of access to EEG technology and specialists in low-resource areas. By developing affordable 25-cent EEG electrodes with integrated amplifiers and utilizing cloud-based AI for interpretation, access to neurodiagnostics can be democratized. The barrier isn’t technological but commercial, requiring significant shifts in North American healthcare economics. This talk will explain how to achieve this and the challenges involved in realizing such a transformative project.
Matthew Sacchet, PhD (Harvard Medical School, MGH)
Beyond “Mindfulness” Toward a Science of Advanced Meditation
Mindfulness is increasingly recognized worldwide as a way to enhance health and wellbeing. This session will focus on advanced meditation, exploring its effects, development processes, and mastery. We'll discuss the latest research directions in advanced meditation and its potential to boost human potential in various clinical and non-clinical settings.
Haleh Fotowat, PhD (Wyss Institute)
Towards Engineering Intelligent Motile Organoids with a Nervous System
A great deal is known about biological neural networks in animal models, which have arrived at their current structure-function relationship through evolution by natural selection. Little is known about how neurons taken from such animal models will develop and function in novel embodiments. I will talk about our work on constructing a novel class of motile biological organoids that incorporate neuronal tissue. Results from this work will significantly improve our understanding of how to ‘wire up’ functional biological neural networks that can drive desired behaviors and potentially mediate learning by experience. In addition to applications in biological robotics, our work will inform future research on regenerative medicine by shedding light on how damaged neuronal pathways could be wired back to their intended targets
John Donoghue, PhD, (Institute for NeuroElectronic Medicine)
A New Bridge to Transform Neuroelectronic Medicine
Dr. John Donoghue, Professor of Neuroscience and Engineering at Brown University, founded the field of neuro-prosthetics, coordinating the development of the first BCI to restore movement for people with paralysis. In this session, we’ll delve into the world of neuroelectronic medicine, an innovative approach aimed at tackling mental health and neurological disorders while potentially enhancing human capabilities by merging mind and machines. We’ll also discuss the importance of establishing a new institute that integrates engineering, neuroscience, and clinical medicine, leveraging advanced microelectronics to fully harness the potential of neuroelectronic medicine.
Feast of Ideas: Dinner with BrainMind Experts
Gather with BrainMind participants at our Neuromodulation/AI/BCI forum to sample culinary and conversational delights at the Feast of Ideas; an open format dinner with themed topic tables led by experts in the field.
Indre Viskontas, PhD, MM
Reverberation: Do Everything Better With Music
Bianca Jones Marlin, PhD
Sensing the Past: How Neurons Send Memory Through Space and Time
André Fenton, PhD
Neural Basis of Memory: Learning to Learn
Nicco Reggente, PhD
Non-Ordinary States of Consciouenss
Srini Pillay, MD
The Role of Artistic Experiences in Healthy Longevity
Jamie Heywood
Big Data, Longer Lives
Kana Enomoto
Scaling Brain and Mental Health Innovations
Uma Naidoo, MD
Nutritional, Lifestyle & Metabolic Psychiatry
Amy Kruse, PhD
Investing with the Brain in Mind?
Jonathan Schooler, PhD
Fostering Openness with Art and Curiosity
MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCES
BrainMind recognizes the arts as a key pathway to brain health and wellbeing, which is why we prioritize featuring outstanding artists and immersive experiences at all our gatherings.
New York City Musical Curators: Anna Gabriel and Michael Hermann, Reverberation
Reverberatation Featuring Neurosteer Tech
Michael Hermann and Anna Gabriel are cofounders of Reveberation with world renowned artist Peter Gabriel.
Reverberation operates at the convergence of music, science, technology, and medicine, wrapped in compelling entertainment and transformative tech. The studio explores music's impact on our brains and activities, creating media spanning books, TV, digital media, education, and live events. Reverberation aims to address some of the world’s most vexing problems through scientifically-rooted music and sound interventions.
Tai Chi and Qigong with Cari Shurman
Cari Shurman discovered Tai Chi and Qigong while in China over 30 years ago. Seeing how the flowing movements, the focus and the visualization were used in the schools to help students stay focused and calm she decided to incorporate it into her teaching. She eventually developed a program appropriate for all ages that can be easily used in the classroom for breaks, before a test for focus, to release stress and find inner peace.
Cari has an MAT degree from Johns Hopkins University. She has taught for over 50 years. She has worked with all age groups from elementary school to university to continuing adult education teaching foreign languages, art, Tai Chi for Kids© and Qigong. She developed her kids program over several years seeing what worked in her own classes. Cari has been working with the NYC public schools for over 20 years. She has also trained teachers through zoom in many states and countries around the world.
Tai Chi for Kids© speaks to everyone. It is non-competitive, and a chance to be in touch with ourselves, our feelings. Cari will give us a Tai Chi for Kids© break to help us focus, relax, and have fun. It is such fun to be an elephant, a dragon or even a sleeping lion.
Featured artists this year include:
Dr. Dunn’s paintings and reflective microetchings deeply fuse art and science, attempting to illuminate the unfathomable complexities of our minds. Dunn’s art includes ink paintings on gold leaf exploring the spontaneous branching of a handful of pyramidal neurons to incredibly intricate, large scale reflective etchings such as Self Reflected that animate the collective activity of half a million neurons at once. In prints, paintings, hanging scrolls, and etchings, Dunn’s works bridge the micro to the macro to change the way in which the average person thinks about the brain. It hopes to reinstill the sense of awe, even to those of us who struggle with various neurological ailments, and to hopefully remind us that our brains are a thing of wonder.
Dr. Dunn has works in collections around the world including permanent installations at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the Museum of Science in Boston, Caltech and Johns Hopkins Universities, and the Society for Neuroscience headquarters among many others. Past exhibitions have included the Pompidou Museum in Paris, the National Gallery of China in Beijing, Sotheby’s New York, the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, and the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia. Dunn’s NSF funded project Self Reflected executed in collaboration with Dr. Brian Edwards has won international acclaim and is widely regarded as the most complex artistic rendering of the human brain in existence.
Dr. Dunn has lectured extensively about his work in many destinations around the world, oftentimes for eclectic groups of artists, scientists, engineers, and those with a love for the brain. In addition to artwork sales, lectures, exhibitions, and installations, Greg licenses images and video for books, magazines, documentary films, nonprofits, and educational platforms.
After a stroke left him without the use of his right hand, guitarist Ken McCaw had a choice to make: become an ex-musician, or somehow find a way to play using only his left hand. That challenge led him to rethink his entire approach to the instrument, and the amazing results can be heard on his debut CD ‘On The Other Hand’.
Now as an in-demand conference keynote speaker Ken embodies his personal message of resilience, creativity and humour.
Sarah Meyohas is a conceptual artist whose practice considers the nature and capabilities of emerging technologies in contemporary society. Using the familiar emblems of biological life, Meyohas investigates the complex operations that increasingly govern our world: soaring birds, created using augmented-reality software, flock in unison with the frenetic variations of the stock market; rose petals, aggregately identical but individually unique, comprise the dataset for their AI-created equivalents; Bitchcoin, a cryptocurrency backed by physical artworks, questions the speculative value of cryptocurrency and the ineffable value of art. Meyohas creates an intelligible visual language to articulate the systems and technologies that increasingly influence our world.
Meyohas is represented by Marianne Boesky Gallery and has been exhibited in New York at Red Bull Arts, 303 Gallery, Rockefeller Center, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art and internationally at institutions including the Barbican Centre, London, the Jameel Arts Center, Dubai, and the Ming Contemporary Art Museum, Shanghai. Her work is also in the collection of The Centre Pompidou, Paris. She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Vice, and Artforum, and has appeared on CNBC, PBS, and CBC. Her film Cloud of Petals has been screened at various film festivals around the world, including the Slamdance Film Festival and the Locarno Film Festival. In 2017 she was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Meyohas holds dual degrees in Finance and International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and in 2015 received her M.F.A. from Yale University.
EXPERIENTIAL NEUROLAB
BrainMind Summits always include a hands-on Experiential NeuroLab with exciting inventions, technology demonstrations, and artistic exhibits. Past experiences include mind-controlled visual media, AR and VR-based technologies, real human brains, 10-100x expanded brain segments, neuroscience-driven perceptual illusions, immersive education experiences, and more.
BRAIN-HEALTHY CUISINE
New research indicates that diet plays a significant role in brain function, impacting everything from memory to risk for brain diseases. We put these exciting findings into practice at our gatherings. You won’t find junky conference fare at our forum. Meals and snacks served at BrainMind feature foods and ingredients with published findings for brain health benefit. Learn more about our approach here.
DETAILS
Dates: Sunday - Monday, June 2nd - 3rd, 2024
Time: Forum: 8:00AM - 6:00 PM both days, Feast of Ideas at 6:30PM on June 2nd
Location: Exact location details will be disclosed upon registration
Hotels: See our recommended hotels here