Jeff Hawkins

Jeff Hawkins is a well-known scientist and entrepreneur, considered one of the most successful and highly regarded computer architects in Silicon Valley. He is widely known for founding Palm Computing and Handspring Inc. and for being the architect of many successful handheld computers. He is often credited with starting the entire handheld computing industry.

Despite his successes as a technology entrepreneur, Hawkins’ primary passion and occupation has been neuroscience. From 2002 to 2005, Hawkins directed the Redwood Neuroscience Institute, now located at U.C. Berkeley. He is currently co-founder and chief scientist at Numenta, a research company focused on neocortical theory.

Hawkins has written two books, "On Intelligence" (2004 with Sandra Blakeslee) and "A Thousand Brains: A new theory of intelligence" (2021). Many of his scientific papers have become some of the most downloaded and cited papers in their journals.

Hawkins has given over one hundred invited talks at research universities, scientific institutions, and corporate research laboratories. He has been recognized with numerous personal and industry awards. He is considered a true visionary by many and has a loyal following – spanning scientists, technologists, and business leaders. Jeff was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2003.