Michael Scanlon is the science behind Lumosity. The co-founder and chief scientific officer is an expert in cognitive training and neuroplasticity. He created the Lumos Neuroscience Research Platform, which enables large-scale study of cognitive training in humans and oversees research collaborations in over 150 labs at prestigious universities, including Stanford and Harvard. I chatted with the Princeton and Stanford alum and researcher about the family health crisis that inspired his work, the science behind the "gym for your brain," his favorite mental exercise, the long-awaited Android version of Lumosity, and his favorite apps.

Lumosity's Co-Founder and CSO Michael Scanlon

Would you tell us about your professional background and how you landed your current role? I first became interested in neuroscience in college when I realized how little we knew about the brain. Around that time, both of my grandmothers were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which further motivated my interests, and I began a neuroscience PhD program at Stanford University. I studied neuroplasticity and how learning in different environments can affect brain structure and function. I, along with my co-founders, wanted to take findings out of the lab and create a program with real-world applications, and this idea ended up becoming ... [Read more]