Dr. John Medina

Acknowledged as one of the most engaging and crowd-pleasing speakers in the world of neuroscience, Dr. Medina is a developmental molecular biologist, researcher, professor and the author of ten books. His New York Times bestseller, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving at Work, Home and School has been celebrated as the standard handbook on understanding the brain and optimizing its performance. Brain Rules has been translated into more than 20 languages and selected as a textbook at numerous universities. Dr. Medina’s focus is on the genes behind brain development and psychiatric conditions. He has spent most of his professional life as an analytical research consultant, working primarily in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries on research related to mental health. He also consults with hospitals and healthcare facilities on designing brain-healthy environments that reduce staff stress and improve patient outcomes. Recently, he expanded his interest in how the brain interacts with environments to office spaces, teaming up with award-winning architecture firm NBBJ. Dr. Medina is an Affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also the Founding Director of the Talaris Research Institute studying how infants encode and process information at the cognitive, cellular and molecular level. Dr. Medina’s extensive study of the developing brain at different stages of life resulted in his most recent book, Attack of the Teenage Brain! Understanding and Supporting the Weird and Wonderful Adolescent Learner. He is also the author of Brain Rules for Baby and Brain Rules for Aging Well.