About Me

I'm a tenured professor of Positive AI at TU Delft's Human-Centered Design department, where I research the design of AI systems to maximize wellbeing and the role of resonance in interaction design.

My academic journey spans cognitive science at Yale (BA '03), social design at UC San Diego (MFA '09), and human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon (PhD '14). Along the way, I've founded three companies—Playpower Labs (AI-based educational software), NeuroUX (gamified cognitive assessments), and Smart Paper (computer vision for paper-based learning).

My work has reached over 5 million students, primarily through Smart Paper's deployment across India. I've designed 35+ educational games and a dozen psychological assessment tools, winning recognition from Sesame Street, the White House, the MacArthur Foundation, and DARPA.

Beyond my professional work, I'm passionate about digitizing rare historical texts—particularly Hermetic, alchemical, and mystical manuscripts from the pre-modern era. I believe these texts contain valuable wisdom about the nature of consciousness, creativity, and human flourishing.

I live in the Netherlands with my wife and four children. Originally from Ohio.