R. Beau Lotto Ph.D.

Dr. Beau Lotto, Ph.D., was born in Seattle and earned his bachelor's degree at the University of California, Berkeley in 1991. He then moved to Scotland, where he earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University Medical School, Edinburgh in 1994. He remained in Edinburgh for his first postdoctoral fellowship (with Professor David Price), and then moved to Duke University for his second fellowship, where he was mentored by Professor Dale Purves.

Beau was a professor at University College London for 20 years and is now a professor at the University of London, as well as a visiting scholar at New York University. He has mentored over 30 undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D. students, as well as postdoctoral fellows.

In 2001, Beau Lotto founded The Lab of Misfits Studio, the world’s only neuroperception creative studio that is also a real neuroscience lab. The Lab’s goal is to foster adaptability and creativity. Its unique process of experiential experiments unites neuroscience expertise and measurement with digital technology and immersive design.

Beau is CEO and founder of Ripple Inc., which holds five highly influential patents in Augmented Reality (AR) with two further patents pending. Using its technology and exclusive patented IP, the Lab creates digital platforms and custom, proprietary digital interactions that layer the world with immersive digital content. Examples include the GPS-based AR apps Traces, Acoustigram, and W_nder, all of which focus on location-tied storytelling, adding a layer of meaning to the world that has hitherto been impossible.

He is author of three books, the latest is Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently.

Beau has done three mainstage TED talks and garnered over 9 million views. His most recent incorporated the talents of Cirque du Soleil and sought to capture the essence of how we perceive awe and wonder.