Gavin Philips

Background

About Gavin Philips

My life's work is to augment human ability, particularly for people with disabilities, through the application of user-centered design and engineering principles. I seek to understand exactly what each individual *can* do, and what he/she/they *wants to* do, so that I can connect the two effectively and efficiently through technology. In this pursuit, I have developed brain-computer interfaces and other assistive technology, from wheelchair controls for people with quadriplegia, to neurofeedback methods for motor rehabilitation after stroke. Most recently, my focus has been deep brain stimulation for Parkinson disease and other neurological conditions. Currently, I sit at the intersection between product, data science, engineering, and customer management. I am a: • Neuroengineer • Data scientist • Product manager • Developer relations specialist • Clinical trial/study specialist • Teacher My path: • Developed an eye-controlled power wheelchair during BS/MS programs • Spent three years at an incredible clinic/R&D lab, working with clinicians to assess and address the needs of people with complex disabilities • Decided that I could help more people, and those with the most complex disabilities, through brain-computer interfaces • Earned a PhD, learning and applying neural signal processing and machine learning techniques to BCI/robot assisted neurofeedback for stroke rehabilitation • Confronted the most significant obstacle I had observed in noninvasive BCIs, delving into new fields to find a novel approach as a postdoctoral fellow • Returned to that incredible assistive technology clinic/lab as a postdoctoral fellow, with broader responsibilities, including project management, grant writing, and independent teaching • Left academia in pursuit of a more immediate, tangible impact on the lives of people with disabilities • Found a perfect fit for a broad skillset and "do whatever needs done" approach in early stage neurotechnology startups