About Our Speakers
Adam J. Woods, PhD (moderator)
Cognitive Neuroscientist; Dean, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UT Dallas
A leader in neuromodulation who is focused on finding noninvasive methods for remediating age-related decline in thinking and memory, Dr. Adam J. Woods joined The University of Texas at Dallas as dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) in 2024, where he was also named as the Aage and Margareta Møller Distinguished Professor. On the transition to UT Dallas and BBS, Dr. Woods has said, "As a cognitive neuroscientist with a major focus on health sciences, I couldn’t think of a better footprint for my interests.”
Dr. Woods has highlighted research, education and practice as the three pillars of BBS and described the school as uniquely positioned to have an impact across many domains, including devices, noninvasive intervention and clinical trials spanning many interdisciplinary fields.
Tim Szymanski
Vice Admiral (ret.); Former Navy Special Warfare Officer (SEAL)
For over 36 years, Vice Admiral (ret.) Tim Szymanski served in many Navy and Joint Special Operations assignments as a Navy Special Warfare Officer (SEAL). He most recently served as the Deputy Commander for the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) after serving as the Commander of Naval Special Warfare (NSW). In these roles, he led thousands of uniformed and civilian personnel in the manning, training, equipping and employment of naval special warfare and joint special operations forces.
He was among the first to understand and appreciate the importance of focusing on brain health in the military. Keenly aware of the detrimental effects of invisible wounds on Force and Family Readiness, he established policy to cognitively baseline the entire Special Operations community and created initiatives to enhance warfighter brain health.
He graduated from the US Naval Academy and holds a MA in Joint Strategic Planning from the Joint Advanced Warfighting School in Norfolk, VA.
Mark D’Esposito, MD
Distinguished Professor, UC Berkeley; Practicing Neurologist; 2024 Inductee, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; BrainHealth Project Co-Leader, Center for BrainHealth
Dr. Mark D’Esposito investigates the neural mechanisms underlying working memory, cognitive control and frontal lobe function utilizing different convergent experimental approaches such as functional MRI, transcranial magnetic stimulation, pharmacological interventions, and behavioral studies of healthy individuals and those with neurological disorders.
He has been the principal investigator on numerous NIH, private foundation and VA-funded grants. He has authored over 400 research publications, which have been cited over 70,000 times, as well as seven books on the topics of behavioral neurology and cognitive neuroscience.
Sandi Chapman, PhD
Cognitive Neuroscientist and Author of How To Make Your Brain Smarter; Distinguished Professor, UT Dallas’ School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences; Founder, Chief Director and BrainHealth Project Co-Leader, Center for BrainHealth
One of the nation’s preeminent cognitive neuroscientists, Dr. Sandi Chapman furthers our understanding of what makes the brain stronger, faster and last longer. She is committed to enhancing human cognitive capacity and the underlying brain systems across the lifespan.
Dr. Chapman collaborates with researchers and changemakers to democratize access to brain health strategies and tools, expanding the reach of her message to political leaders on Capitol Hill, media strategists across the country and humanitarian agencies across the globe. She has received more than 50 funded research grants and published 200+ peer-reviewed publications. A sought-after speaker and author, she is also frequently featured in media coverage.
Ian Robertson, PhD
Clinical Psychologist and Author ofThe Stress Test and How Confidence Works; Co-Director, Global Brain Health Institute; Emeritus Professor, Trinity College Dublin; T. Boone Pickens Distinguished Chair and BrainHealth Project Co-Leader, Center for BrainHealth
Dr. Ian Robertson is a leading researcher on how we can harness the mind’s attention systems to maximize the brain’s capacity to reshape itself to give every person a sense of control over their own emotions and cognitive function.
By studying the attention systems of the brain and their relationship to neurotransmitter systems, in particular the norepinephrine/locus ceruleus system, he has developed effective cognitive training methods for a range of disorders ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to schizophrenia, and from traumatic brain injury to the aging brain. His lab was the first to show it is possible to measure norepinephrine (NE) activity in the waking human brain using pupillometry, which is important because of the critical role of NE in brain plasticity in general, and the development of "cognitive reserve" in particular.
Matthew Walker, PhD
Professor, UC Berkeley; Authority on the Neuroscience of Sleep; Author of the Bestseller Why We Sleep
Matthew Walker, PhD, is professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. He has received funding awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and is a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. He has been featured on numerous television and radio outlets, including CBS 60 Minutes, National Geographic Channel, NOVA Science, NRP and the BBC.
Dr. Walker’s research examines the impact of sleep on human health and disease. He has received numerous funding awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and is a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. His research examines the impact of sleep on human brain function in healthy and disease populations. To date, he has published over 100 scientific research studies.
Wesley Clapp, PhD
Co-Founder, NeuroScouting, LLC
NeuroScouting is led by neuroscientists Dr. Wesley Clapp and Dr. Brian Miller. Merging their passion for sports with deep interest in the neural basis of elite performance, they started NeuroScouting in 2007 with the mission of bringing the latest neuroscience advances out of the lab and into actionable tools in the real world.
Through partnerships in professional sports, NeuroScouting has developed a multi-dimensional assessment-intervention platform that enhances both scouting and player development with neuroscience-based technologies. Over the last fifteen years, NeuroScouting has collected, analyzed, and cataloged neural performance metrics from
tens of thousands of professional athletes, delivered custom training protocols to thousands more and has been awarded NIH grants for ongoing work extending components of this platform to clinical targets in brain health.
Dr. Clapp got his BSc in Neuroscience from Oberlin and his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Aukland; he was a post-doctoral Fellow for three years at UCSF.
Brian Miller, PhD
Co-Founder; NeuroScouting, LLC
NeuroScouting is led by neuroscientists Dr. Brian Miller and Dr. Wesley Clapp. Merging their passion for sports with deep interest in the neural basis of elite performance, they started NeuroScouting in 2007 with the mission of bringing the latest neuroscience advances out of the lab and into actionable tools in the real world.
Through partnerships in professional sports, NeuroScouting has developed a multi-dimensional assessment-intervention platform that enhances both scouting and player development with neuroscience-based technologies. Over the last fifteen years, NeuroScouting has collected, analyzed, and cataloged neural performance metrics from
tens of thousands of professional athletes, delivered custom training protocols to thousands more and has been awarded NIH grants for ongoing work extending components of this platform to clinical targets in brain health.
Dr. Miller got his BS in Psychology from Duke and his PhD in Neuroscience from UC Berkeley.
Brian Magierski
CEO/Founder, 21 Impact Labs; Technology Investor
Brian is founder and CEO of 21Impact, which develops digital health applications to put people in control of extending and elevating their own peak brain performance – and is the first company to commercialize our science through a soon-to-be-announced platform called xponetiq.
Brian is a global entrepreneur in blockchain, mobile and internet-based software and healthy lifestyle service businesses in the United States, Europe and Asia. Through the years, he has been a part of teams that raised hundreds of millions of dollars in private equity funding from global investors and led the purchase and sale of
several global enterprises.
Brian holds a BS from Cornell in Engineering and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Kevin Gatley
Former Navy SEAL (LtCdr.); Operations Officer, Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters, Center for BrainHealth
Kevin Gatley leads the vision for improving cognitive capacity in the military, leveraging his own experience to ensure that the application of our tools is thoughtful, integrated and successful. He has advocated for cognitive performance protocols for the military since 2014 and previously championed the center’s SMART™ seminars to dozens of SEAL and SWCC Teams within Naval Special Warfare.
Alexander (Ollie) Oliver
Navy SEAL (ret.); Founder, CEO and Owner, Virginia High Performance
Ollie is the founder of Virginia High Performance (VHP), a group that is collaborating with Center for BrainHealth (details to come; this has not been announced yet). A former Navy SEAL served for 21 years before retiring with a new passion for helping his fellow teammates and their families put themselves back together physically, mentally and emotionally. Prior to his transition from military service, Ollie was integral in the formation and development of the human performance program at an East Coast based SEAL Team.
Ollie saw that the post-military landscape ineffectively addressed the wide-ranging needs of the Special Operator’s long-term health. This was the genesis for Virginia High Performance (VHP), which holistically assesses, trains, and improves current and former special operators’ health and wellness with solutions that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
Jennifer Zientz, MS, CCC-SLP
Director of Programs and Head of Clinical Services, Center for BrainHealth
Jennifer Zientz’s work focuses on the translation of Center for BrainHealth research to improve how people think, work and live. She administers performance-based assessments and facilitates training workshops that empower individuals across the lifespan to take the lead in strengthening their focus, mental efficiency, reasoning and possibility thinking.
She has facilitated SMART™ brain training for groups including military leadership, active-duty special operators, veterans and their spouses, law enforcement officers, corporate executives and leadership teams, community leaders, athletes and graduate students.