Recognized Neuroscience Leaders 2025

I’m an Academic Neuroscientist, Published Author, and the Founder of Sci-translate with a PhD in Neuroscience & Psychology from King’s College London. I founded Sci-translate to empower people with the knowledge to become happier and healthier. Scientific discoveries have the potential to improve millions of people’s lives, but these discoveries often become lost in translation between academia and the real world. That’s why I help purpose-driven ventures understand how to interpret research and create actionable solutions from data. Whether you’re an established business or a start-up, I work with anyone who is passionate about making a positive difference in people’s health and wellbeing.

Helping People Live a Better Story...with Science! Fostering innovation and deep engagement has been the core of my work since joining the San Jose State University science faculty in 2007. Today, I’m bringing that expertise out of the academy and into the lives of high performers that want that extra edge to create unique, science based solutions and cultivate stronger teams & leaders. My academic research lies at the intersection of fear science, creativity and communication. You can find some of my recent work in Forbes, Science magazine, Entrepreneur, and TED. My Top 3 Recent Talks: Power to Pivot Neurohacking Creativity & Innovation The Myth of Fearlessness https://www.marypoffenroth.com

I love solving complex business challenges using technology, AI prompt engineering, data and automation. I am an experienced CTO with over 25 years in full-stack platform strategy, design and implementation, particularly in Financial Services. I am an Agile native, keen Scrum-Master, NLP Practitioner and experienced Product Owner. Recently been knees-deep in ChatGPT integration for automated data analysis; AI-based sentiment analysis on unstructured content; AI content translation and speech output; app design for neurodiversity; cloud architecture and implementation (AWS); ground-up people analytics platform; machine learning and predictive analytics; robo-advice (investments); and combining neuroscience with technology.I've recently published my first non-fiction book "Mental Wellbeing for Busy People". Otherwise you’ll find me savouring a craft beer, or even brewing one, or during the summer concocting new varieties of craft cheese in time for Christmas parties!

Former Lawyer, Australian Loren Hogue is the Co-CEO of NEUROFIT. She is an official Master Coach with over 3000 hours experience and has worked with thousands of clients globally. Following an acute family tragedy, she spent 12 years identifying the best ways to heal her trauma, stress, burnout, and nervous system dysregulation, investing most of her 20’s to test different approaches. She walked away from her coaching business in 2021 and joined forces with Andrew Hogue (her husband) to start NEUROFIT after honing in on a growing gap in the post-COVID wellness market related to prolonged stress, burnout, and nervous system regulation.

Erena DiGonis, LCSW-R is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Health Coach, and Certified Clinical Anxiety and Trauma Treatment Professional. She is also certified in Brainspotting and trained in EMDR. Erena has twenty-one years of practical and professional experience as an active clinician, teacher, and supervisor. She has worked in a variety of community, psychiatric, in-home, and private practice settings with hundreds of complex cases. Erena is a sought-after writer, speaker, and consultant and has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Psychology Today, Reader’s Digest, Women's Health, and MEL magazine. She has reviewed book proposals for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and is an Advisory Board Member for the CPTSD Foundation. Erena serves as the Founder and Continuing Education Director of EngagedMinds, a national Continuing Education business providing training for Counselors, Social Workers, and Therapists.

Wouldn't it be great if we all had a manual that explains how our brain works?Follow me to find out more about how your brain works and why meta-cognition—thinking about thinking—is essential in our fast-changing world.Learn to optimise brain function, build better habits with ease, overcome biases, navigate mental rigidity, and manage emotions, for clearer, creative thinking and better decisions.We’re all prone to being fooled by the 2-3kg mass of sensitive and sophisticated cells we use to evaluate the world. And we've been sucked into technology because it hijacks the brains natural desire for novel stimuli.But, when we apply neuroscientific principles to our daily choices, it allows us to optimise our brain function, enhance leadership, improve teamwork, and drive organizational success.>>> Through in-person and online programs, I help leaders, teams, and high achievers apply neuroscience to enhance cognitive function, reduce chronic stress, recover from burnout, and improve clarity of thought, creativity, decision-making, learning, and mental health.'Delia’s insight into what the brain needs to be fed - and what it’s not getting anymore - explains the energy, weight, fatigue and memory woes that are plaguing the modern brain! Using a unique mix of psychology and neurology, Delia’s genius around the stressed brain, sugar addictions, caffeine cravings and the ever-expanding muffin-top waistline, are unsurpassed! Delia provides hope, answers and solutions!'Tanya T, Los Angeles, Entrepreneur.

I'm Natasha M. Nurse, Esq., a neurodivergent pathfinder who thrives on storytelling to spark change and understanding. Empathy drives me as I forge inclusive spaces where every voice matters. Through dynamic workshops, impactful content, and insightful conversations, my goal is to integrate diversity into the core of every organization I engage with. My life's motto is simple yet profound: learn something new and meet someone new each and every day. This philosophy fuels my endless curiosity and creative endeavors daily.

Julia Hay is a dedicated coach and trainer passionate about personal and professional development. With a strong foundation in NeuroCoaching, she employs a holistic approach that harnesses the mind-body connection to help clients build resilience, boost productivity, and optimize performance.Julia’s empathetic coaching and training style is tailored to each individual, ensuring a personalized growth journey that unlocks their unique potential. Her clients consistently commend her for her unwavering support and the transformative results they achieve.Committed to making a lasting impact, Julia empowers individuals to reach new heights of success and fulfillment in every aspect of their lives.

As Co-CEO of NEUROFIT and a three-time tech founder, I combine a background in computer science from Caltech with a decade of experience building wellness technology that's reached millions globally. My journey from experiencing Complex PTSD to creating innovative solutions for stress and burnout has shaped NEUROFIT's data-driven approach to nervous system regulation, now used by 2,000+ health professionals and 60,000+ users across 100+ countries worldwide. Prior to NEUROFIT, my expertise in product development and engineering led me through technical roles at Snapchat and Headspace, and as a product consultant for Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. My venture-backed products have earned international recognition with features in Forbes, Well+Good, Men's Health, MedicalNewsToday, SHAPE, and more. At NEUROFIT, we've pioneered a unique approach to stress management and burnout prevention, that combines cutting-edge technology with body-based interventions, helping active users achieve an average 54% reduction in stress levels within their first week.

Clinical Psychologist offering therapy and psychological testing services to individuals and families. I also provide management and strategy consultation to service delivery companies that want to maintain high-quality care while achieving financial goals, as well as coaching and consulting to executives, founders, creators, and producers.

I'm a dedicated psychotherapist and founder of Uncover Mental Health Counseling. With a deep understanding of cultural dynamics and a commitment to helping diverse communities, I'm passionate about guiding individuals toward healthier, more fulfilling relationships. With a background in Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, and LGBT Health, I specialize in working through generational and racial trauma, anxiety, self-esteem issues, and relationship challenges. I also provide support for relationship conflicts, family dynamics, teen counseling, parenting, grief and loss, and addiction, offering a compassionate space for growth and healing.

With over twenty years of experience, Dr. MacBride is a skilled Psychologist with a history of working in hospitals, clinics, and the healthcare industry. She is a skilled Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and can provide clinical supervision. Her areas of specialty are: anxiety, depression, PTSD/trauma, and insomnia. Dr. MacBride firmly believes treatment is a collaborative effort and recovery is always possible, she takes a practical approach using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and focuses on evidence based interventions.

Dr. James Utley is a pioneering scientist at the forefront of cellular therapy, AI, and data science. A Johns Hopkins-educated Immunohematology expert and Certified Advanced Biotherapies Professional (CABP), he also holds advanced certifications in data science and machine learning. While serving as Technical Director at a major healthcare organization, Dr. Utley oversaw more than 150,000 successful cellular transfusions and spearheaded advancements that significantly improved patient outcomes. This experience included leading initiatives for the Department of Defense, where he revolutionized cellular transfusion practices. His innovative approach is further exemplified by his FDA-approved work and numerous publications in leading scientific journals. Dr. Utley is also known for his bold, hands-on approach to research, embodying the spirit of a "biohacker" by pushing the boundaries of CRISPR and genetic engineering through self-experimentation. This unique blend of rigorous scientific training and unconventional methods has earned him the moniker "the pirate" within the biohacker community.

Dr. Benjamin T. Benumof, Ph.D., Esq., affectionately known as “Ben” by his friends, colleagues, and family, is a truly remarkable individual whose multi-faceted brilliance extends across various disciplines. As the Founder of GEO-LAW.COM and the President and CEO of GEO-LAW, P.C., Ben is a highly distinguished attorney and geologist specializing in Land Use, Coastal, Water Law, Real Estate, Proposition 218, and Construction law matters. His expertise, which lies at the very fascinating, multi-dimensional, and multi-disciplinary intersection of Law, Earth Sciences, and Business, has earned him a reputation as one of the leading “go-to” legal minds in Southern California. However, Ben’s influence doesn’t stop there. He is also a very dynamic and powerful Keynote Speaker, a Mentor to many, a Mind-Body Connection and Wellness Life Coach, and a talented Musician and Songwriter, whose talents and passions inspire everyone around him. But what sets Ben apart from others is his unwavering dedication to personal transformation, both for himself and for the countless individuals whose lives he is touching. Through his transformative work as an Author, Speaker, and a Mind-Body Connection and Wellness Life Coach, Ben is empowering others to take charge of their own lives, to overcome limitations, and to unlock their fullest potential. Ben does this through many lenses, most notably, his new inspirational book, IF NOT, THEN WHY? And there is also his powerful Keynote Speeches, his transformative Coaching Sessions (group, corporate, and personal), and his inspiring and engaging Workshops, which draw on his extensive knowledge and easy-to-understand approach to the modern, 21st Century, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Biomechanics, and Quantum Physics, that explains how “we all think,” “how we all act,” and “how we all feel,” as conscious Beings, conscious Humans. www.IFNOTTHENWHY.com

I’m Vaishnavi Sarfare: a mental health advocate and the founder of unBurden Chat Buddy, a free, anonymous, AI-powered platform offering 24/7 emotional support via text and voice in over 75 languages. The platform draws on evidence-based approaches like CBT, DBT, mindfulness to create a safe, stigma-free space for people to share what’s on their minds...especially those who face barriers to traditional therapy. I’m a certified EFT practitioner (EFTMRA – UK & India) and I offer 1:1 online EFT Sessions to release emotional distress and support mental-somatic healing. Through personalised, science-backed EFT, I help you gently release stress, regulate your nervous system, and feel lighter: mentally and physically. Whether you’re moving through anxiety, burnout, emotional overwhelm, or recurring patterns, our sessions are a safe space to reconnect with calm, clarity, and yourself. My work is informed by my BSc in Applied Psychology, my ongoing MSc in Clinical Psychology and extensive global certifications, including Psychological First Aid (Johns Hopkins), Health Across the Gender Spectrum (Stanford), Harvard certification, and multiple WHO, UNICEF programs in mental health and crisis response. Having witnessed firsthand the accessibility gaps in the mental healthcare system, I’ve committed myself to combining psychology, technology, and advocacy to make mental well-being support equitable.

Tony Crescenzo is the President and CEO of Intelligent Waves (IW), a leading systems integrator that delivers mission-focused multi-domain operational expertise and innovation to the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, and the Intelligence community. He is also the founder of Peak Neuro LLC, a groundbreaking AI-integrated neuroscience platform that enhances sleep, focus, recovery, and cognitive resilience in the most demanding environments. Before joining IW, Crescenzo held various executive positions, including CEO roles at Inline Software, IntelliDyne, Illumitek, and Analysis Frameworks, as well as Vice President and General Manager of the Public Sector at Initiate Systems. He served in the United States Marine Corps, bringing a wealth of experience in technology across federal, commercial, and international markets. Under Crescenzo's leadership, IW has been consulting with the U.S. government and providing cognitive human performance technology and services to the U.S. Air Force, positively impacting states of consciousness in elite occupations. Crescenzo is actively involved in the community. He serves on the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Board of Directors and co-chairs its Veterans’ Employment Initiative. He serves on the Board of Directors at Warriors Ethos. Additionally, he chairs the advisory board of the Semper Fi Fund and is a former member of the Virginia Board of Trustees at The Nature Conservancy.