Moran Cerf Keynote Speaker

Prof Moran Cerf is a professor of neuroscience and business.

He holds a PhD in Neuroscience from Caltech, an MA in Philosophy, and a BSc in Physics from Tel Aviv University.

In his work, Professor Cerf helps individuals and organizations apply insights from neuroscience to improve thinking, leadership, decision-making, personal development, and customer engagement.

His academic research uses neuroscience to study the mechanisms behind psychology, behavior, emotions, decision-making, and dreams. His pioneering work with patients undergoing brain surgery—in which electrodes implanted in the brain record the activity of individual neurons—has established him as one of the world’s leading experts on neural implants, brain-machine interfaces, and advanced neurotechnology. Through this research, he explores questions such as how conscious experiences are formed, how emotions can be controlled, and how to create content that is more engaging and persuasive to the brain.

Professor Cerf has held leadership roles across multiple industries, including cybersecurity (where he worked for a decade as a hacker), pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, fashion, and innovation research. He currently serves on the boards of several technology companies and is the co-founder of ThinkAlike. He also founded the nonprofit B-Cube, which helps organizations address societal and leadership challenges using neuroscience-based approaches. His consulting clients have included Ferrari, Viacom, TransUnion, Nielsen, Founders Pledge, and the U.S. Government.

He has mentored more than 50 students, holds multiple patents, and has authored several books and over 70 academic papers published in leading journals such as Nature and Science, as well as popular science publications including Scientific American Mind, Wired, and New Scientist. His work has been featured by CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, NPR, Time, MSNBC, Netflix’s Explained, PBS Nova, and many other media outlets.

Professor Cerf has also shared his research through talks at events such as PopTech, TED, TEDx (where he is among the most prolific TEDx speakers worldwide), Google Zeitgeist, and DLD, reaching millions of viewers.

He has received several teaching awards and research grants and was named one of the “40 Leading Professors Below 40.”

Reflecting his research on engagement and storytelling, Professor Cerf is a four-time U.S. National Storytelling Champion at The Moth competition and regularly consults on Hollywood films and television series, including CBS’s Bull, Limitless, and USA Network’s Falling Water.

He holds the Alfred P. Sloan Chair at the American Film Institute (AFI), where he teaches an annual screenwriting course.

Most importantly, he is left-handed.