Beau Lotto

  • Renowned Neuroscientist, Entrepreneur, and Professor of Neuroscience at the University of London
  • Three-Time TED Main Stage Speaker with over 9Million Views
  • Founder and CEO of The Lab of Misfits, the world’s first neuro-design studio that offers brands science-backed insights to foster innovation
  • Author of Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently

According to Dr. Beau Lotto, “Once you understand how perception works, you can't but help see yourself in the world in a different way and engage in it in a different way.” Renowned neuroscientist and entrepreneur, Beau Lotto, has spent decades studying the way we see—and in his three-time mainstage TED talks with over 9 million views, he shows us how to see differently. As Lotto puts it, "the brain never sees the world as it actually is, only the world that is useful to see." By illuminating these principles of perception, Lotto helps companies overcome biases, embrace uncertainty, transform their approach to creativity, and unlock innovation.

Lotto is the founder and CEO of The Lab of Misfits, the world’s first neuro-design studio that seeks to “break down the walls of the traditional laboratory” and study humans in their natural habitats. Part lab, part creative studio, Lab of Misfits takes a disruptive approach to research, partnering with brands to blend science, art and performance to explore pivotal principles in current culture. Their "experiential experiments" invite consumers to engage with brands and offer brands science-backed insights that foster innovation. The measurable insights gleaned from these experiments have led to organizational breakthroughs for clients as diverse as Cirque du Soleil (awe and wonder), L’Oréal (empowerment), The Charles Koch Institute (tolerance), BCW Public Relations (insight), and The London Science Museum (curiosity).

Lotto is a professor of neuroscience at the University of London, and a visiting scholar at New York University. He is the author of Why We See What We Do, and Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently, which explores the surprising science of creativity and unveils the unexpected relationship between perception, reality and innovation. In addition to his role at The Lab of Misfits, Lotto is the Founder and CEO of the sound-based AR company Acoustigram.

Lotto spoken at large-scale events such as the G8 Innovation Conference, as well as for companies like WIRED and Google. He has contributed to television and radio documentaries produced by influential media such as the BBC, National Geographic, Netflix, and PBS.

 


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Rave Reviews About Beau Lotto as a Speaker
Beau artfully challenged the perceptions of a large group of very knowledgeable and accomplished leaders. He is eloquent, humorous, and incredibly gifted at reframing people’s assumptions about what is true and what is possible, through a neuroscientific lens. Beau is the best speaker I’ve seen for helping leaders adopt the right mindset for transformation work.

Virtual Discussion - Reprogramming Your Mind to Thrive in Uncertainty | Fear Guru podcast [45:10] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Beau Lotto
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The Power of Doubt: Perceive – Adapt – Thrive

How can we adapt and thrive in times when the ground beneath us is shifting? We begin by questioning the beliefs and assumptions that drive every single one of our actions, decisions, and behaviors. The idea is to find solutions to questions that haven’t been asked yet. Learning to maintain a health ...

How can we adapt and thrive in times when the ground beneath us is shifting? We begin by questioning the beliefs and assumptions that drive every single one of our actions, decisions, and behaviors. The idea is to find solutions to questions that haven’t been asked yet. Learning to maintain a healthy dose of doubt about what we perceive – keeping our assumptions in check – is crucial. In this completely original, game-changing presentation, neuroscientist Beau Lotto, known worldwide for his groundbreaking work on the subject, uses hard science to open minds and help audiences see the world and themselves differently. His engaging use of images and videos will have people shaking their heads in disbelief – unable to reconcile what they’re seeing with what they thought to be true. Beau’s stunning, interactive, fun presentation will equip people to challenge their own assumptions and beliefs and come away better able to innovate, collaborate, lead, and adapt to new realities. This presentation is an ideal conference kick-off – providing powerful, positive, creative context that sets a tone for the content and collaboration that follow.

Perception & Leadership – A Masterclass

In a more intimate format designed for leadership teams, departments, and smaller groups, Beau shows leaders how to create a framework to lead others into uncertainty. Anything interesting begins with doubt – with not knowing. Learn to celebrate that uncertainty, ask questions, search and discover – ...

In a more intimate format designed for leadership teams, departments, and smaller groups, Beau shows leaders how to create a framework to lead others into uncertainty. Anything interesting begins with doubt – with not knowing. Learn to celebrate that uncertainty, ask questions, search and discover – the foundation of all progress and breakthroughs. Science can teach participants how to lead better and create an environment that fosters creativity and innovation by understanding the role of perception in every aspect of their lives. Beau provides the group dozens of new ways to think differently about their challenges and successfully innovate, adapt, and build effective teams.

How Brands Connect With Customers

A brand that delights its audience while creating insight into an essential human value is more creative, has more loyal customers, and generates lasting, authentic impact in the world. Beau’s presentation is based on work that his neuro-design studio Lab of Misfits has been doing for years, which i ...

A brand that delights its audience while creating insight into an essential human value is more creative, has more loyal customers, and generates lasting, authentic impact in the world. Beau’s presentation is based on work that his neuro-design studio Lab of Misfits has been doing for years, which is helping brands deepen their authenticity by enabling and measuring the impact of their purpose in the world. Beau will explain how to unpack the keys to creating customized, immersive brand experiences that will evolve your brand to build genuine and long-lasting relationships with your key audiences.

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Books by Beau Lotto
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Biography

The only way to thrive in a rapidly changing world is to change with it. We know that. But the biggest barrier is in our heads. Neuroscientist and entrepreneur Beau Lotto shows why adapting – moving from A to B – means first moving from A to not-A. We need to let go of the assumptions and beliefs that keep us from seeing the world differently. A world-renowned expert in the science of perception, Beau reveals why trading certainty for doubt increases our capacity to adapt, lead, innovate, and thrive in the darkness of “I don’t know.”

A professor with deep academic credentials and critical scholarly works on the subject, Beau is also founder and CEO of two companies – Lab of Misfits, the world’s first neuro-design studio, and Ripple, which holds several highly influential patents in Augmented Reality (AR). A three-time mainstage TED speaker with over 9,000,000 views, Beau has spoken around the world, delivering totally unique, visually stunning, interactive, and fun presentations that help people act differently in the face of change. His message is an ideal conference kick-off – providing powerful, positive, creative context that sets a tone for the content and collaboration that follow. Beau’s latest book is Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently.   

Born in Seattle, Beau Lotto earned his bachelor's degree at the University of California, Berkeley in 1991. He then moved to Scotland, where he earned his PhD 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 University of London, as well as a visiting scholar at New York University. He has mentored over 30 undergraduate, masters, and PhD 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. Their unique process of experiential experiments unites neuroscience expertise and measurement with digital technology and immersive design. They study humans “in the wild” - in theaters, public spaces, even across entire cities - using a combination of digital, virtual, and physical techniques and neuroscientific methodologies. By unveiling the essential truths that drive human decisions, their work deepens connections and creates innovations. Pragmatically, their insights are scientifically unique and quantified, commercially valuable to the stakeholders, and emotional and actionable to public audiences. They have since created public experiences around the world, including London’s Science Museum, Hayward Gallery on London’s South Bank, and a public art installation in London’s famous Silicon Roundabout. Their past clients include Cirque du Soleil, L’Oreal, Asurion, Microsoft, Edelman, The UAE’s Crown Prince’s Court, and others. Lab of Misfits currently powers the neuroscience offering at Burson Cohn & Wolfe, one of the world's largest public relations and communications firms.

Beau and his Lab have published over 70 peer-reviewed articles across multiple disciplines, including augmented and virtual reality (indeed, their involvement in the EU consortium of labs defined “presence” in the VR space), human perception, physiology, molecular and cellular development, animal (including human) behavior, digital music, graph theory, complex systems theory, computational evolution, artificial intelligence, architecture, theatre and design. His science lab received funding from a wide range of institutions including the Wellcome Trust, the Leverhulme Trust, and other scientific research funders.

Beau is also 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.

In addition to TED, Beau has spoken at the G8, Google’s Zeitgeist, Wired, World Economic Forum, Cannes Lions Creativity Festival, Burning Man, and the Oslo Freedom Forum, among many others. He has contributed to television, radio and podcast programs by the BBC, National Geographic*, HBO, Wharton on Business Radio, and PBS. He is a frequent keynote speaker at major corporations including J&J, Warner Music, Universal, Viacom, Sainsburys, Microsoft, Google, Apple, and the UAE’s Crown Court, where he speaks about the fundamental barriers to thriving in uncertainty and how to overcome them.

“Once you understand how perception works, you can't help but see yourself in the world in a different way and engage in it in a different way,” says Lotto, who is author of three books: Why We See What We Do, Why We See What We Do Redux, and Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently. He received the Josef Albers Prize for Disruptive Innovation at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and was the first Creator in Residence at Viacom.