Speakers

Dr. Sands is the Chairman, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer for Sands Research Inc.Through his research, SRI has become a recognized pioneer and leader in the application of neuroscience in the field of market research. This rapidly growing field is commonly referred to as “neuromarketing” or “consumer neuroscience”. This is Dr. Sands’ second successful entrepreneurial venture after the formation, growth and sale of Neuroscan Inc., the leading supplier of research EEG systems. Founded in 1988, Neuroscan became the market leader in EEG software and equipment supplying over 3,000 universities, corporate and national research laboratories worldwide. Dr. Sands was instrumental in introducing many innovations to the field of cognitive neuroscience and are today widely accepted practices in the neurosciences. Receiving his PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston, Texas, Dr. Sands was employed at the National Eye Institute in the Department of Sensory Sciences at UT’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and then as a researcher at Bell Laboratories in Naperville, Illinois before joining the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). In 1990 he left his tenured academic position to devote his full time efforts to the growth of Neuroscan and stayed with the company after its acquisition until 2005. Upon leaving Neuroscan, Dr. Sands began research into the brain’s response to television advertising and in early 2008 incorporated Sands Research Inc. with his Neuroscan co-founder, Mr. Ron Wright. Since that time, Sands Research has pioneered the application of EEG and Eye-tracking technology for unique insight into television and print advertisements, retail environments, product packaging and product design. The Company provides a comprehensive, objective analysis of the consumer’s non-verbal response to advertising, packaging, shopper environments and sensory inputs (food, beverage and cosmetic product testing). SRI conducts neuromarketing studies around the world for the leading Fortune 500 brands. Dr. Sands has served as a consultant to the brain imaging labs at the Harvard Medical School and the Stanford Research Institute and is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at El Paso and the Taishan Medical University in Taishan, China. Dr. Sands has hundreds of scientific publications in the fields of psychology, behavior and the neurosciences including several cover stories on his work in Science and the International Journal of Neuroscience.