Dr Fiona Kerr is a globally recognised thought leader in human connectivity and synchronization, partnering with technology and leading future-ready, resilient organizations. She is the founder of the NeuroTech Institute & FOCUS, which consults globally on finding human-centric solutions to emerging, complex problems, often combining neuroscience, emerging technology and ethical practice.
Fiona advises a wide range of sectors and industries on building adaptive people, organisations and systems (including law, banking/finance, medicine, defence, education and the arts). Combining forty years working internationally in a range of industries, with diverse qualifications in complex systems engineering, cognitive neuroscience, psychology and anthropology, she offers unique insights into how to shape and lead your changing environment; what remains the same, and ways to maintain strategic control of technologization.
In 2024 Dr Kerr also became the Director of AIR, the Applied Integrative Research arm of MindChamps Holdings Pty Ltd in Singapore, to address knowledge gaps in how digital tools and human proximity impact the cognition of learning and virtual knowledge delivery, and to further work on building complex thinking skills at all ages from infants to CEO's.
That same year Fiona was made a Fellow of ATSE (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering) in recognition of being “at the forefront of shaping a future that is technology powered and human centred - her trailblazing research working with the US DOD debunked the assumption that humans exhibit the same level of complex and moral decision-making when interacting with trusted autonomous systems as they would with another human in close proximity.” The findings on how human interaction impacts complex problem-solving is relevant for decision makers everywhere including CEO’s, strategists, teams, experts, doctors, policy makers, educators or first responders.
Fiona was chosen as a thought leader for the Innovations of the World Australian series, and her company as one of the most innovative SME’s. She is a member of Sir Richard Branson's 100% Human at Work group, an ambassador for WINN (Women in Innovation), was a finalist for SA’s Australian of the Year in 2018.
Voted one of the top five speakers in Australia in 2020, Fiona speaks internationally and appears regularly on media including Catalyst, Insight, Ockham’s Razor and Radio National. She holds a number of board and honorary academic roles, and advises a range of sectors including robotics, health, aging and education, Finland's national AI program, and Defence (USA and Australia).
Talking Points
How Technology Sculpts Us
How Technology Sculpts Us
Changing Our Minds: How great leaders rewire our brains
Changing Our Minds: How great leaders rewire our brains
The Neuroscience of Creativity
The Neuroscience of Creativity
The Rise of the Robot Nurse: The role of Technology in Health and Ageing
The Rise of the Robot Nurse: The role of Technology in Health and Ageing
AI: Friend AND foe
AI: Friend AND foe
The Law of Increasing Returns: Why a human connection matters
The Law of Increasing Returns: Why a human connection matters
The Neuroscience of Leading a Resilient Organisation: Building better brains for business
The Neuroscience of Leading a Resilient Organisation: Building better brains for business
Human-Technology Interaction: The Impacts of Technology on Human Cognition and Communication
The neurophysiology of how humans shape each other during face-to-face interaction is altered by the use of technology in various ways, both good and bad. Understanding this allows us to use technology as a true enabler, and choose when it is not the best solution.
Human-Technology Interaction: The Impacts of Technology on Human Cognition and Communication
Building a Human-centric Technologised Healthcare Future
Medicine is being constantly transformed by amazing new technology from nanobots to telehealth. Human interaction and empathy increases healing, trust, hope, patient compliance and even medical decision making, so balancing the use of tech with human interaction is the key.
Building a Human-centric Technologised Healthcare Future
Leading Flourishing, Adaptive Organisations
The neural duet between brains can happen individually and at scale. In organisations, it facilitates trust, collaboration, communication, shared values and even complex problem solving, resulting in an adaptive, resilient and flourishing organisation.
Leading Flourishing, Adaptive Organisations
Video
How leaders change brains and win hearts | Fiona Kerr | TEDxAdelaide
Leaders change brains, for better or worse. Good leaders have brains that light up differently when engaging teams, connecting in ways that not only grow trust and empathy, but increase capacity for long-lens, complex problem solving and collaborative creativity. Good leaders are empathically connected. They have a clear purpose, strong values and pragmatic optimism. These qualities align people and help them to navigate an ambiguous future. Dr Fiona Kerr is on a mission to change the way we think about how we think. Fiona interprets the science behind why human connection matters, and how it changes our brains, hearts and the decisions we make. Fiona’s work in leadership combines more than 30 years of professional experience, many spent researching the seemingly disparate yet highly interwoven areas of cognitive neuroscience, systems engineering and anthropology.Dr Fiona Kerr | Look Into My Eyes
Fiona will teach us how part of understanding and valuing the dynamics of human interaction is knowing when it offers advantages over the technology-based interaction which is becoming pervasive in human society. She will ask, what is getting in the way, and how do we ensure we connect? Dr. Fiona Kerr is a prominent thought leader in the fields of social cognitive neuroscience (SCN) and human connectivity. She combines an industry professor role at Adelaide University in Neural and Systems Complexity, with public speaking and consulting to companies, industry and governments on how leaders build better brains and businesses, artificial intelligence and the neurophysiological impact of humans interfacing with both humans and technologies.Changing Our Minds: How great leaders rewire brains
Dr Fiona Kerr, founder and director of the NeuroTech Institute, specialises in the crossover between the technologies we use in our everyday lives, how it impacts us in society and transforms our human interactions.The Neuroscience Behind Video & Human-to-Human Communication - Dr. Fiona Kerr
Dr. Fiona Kerr, Founder and Director of The NeuroTech Institute describes the neuroscience behind video and human-to-human communication. re:connection is a short documentary film (16 min) exploring how video creates human connections in a digital business world. The film features a diverse set of experts ranging from a neuroscientist to an unlikely TikTok star discussing how video and shared content experiences help create personal connections in a world where businesses and individuals are reinventing how they reach their audiences in authentic ways.THE TWO OF US: THE POWER OF TOUCH with Dr Fiona Kerr & Gill Hicks MBE at Happiness & Its Causes 2018
Dr Fiona Kerr, thought leader in the neuroscience of human connection and Gill Hicks MBE, survivor of the London terrorist bombings in 2005 and thought-provoking advocate for peaceFiona Kerr is a mesmerising speaker and a delight to work with. The moment that she takes the stage, she captivates the audience. Her knowledge is accessible and she makes complex subject ma ... keep reading Wired For Wonder
Firstly, can I again say a very sincere and hearty thank you for your contribution to the CBA LBB conference on Monday. You were incredibly well received - the standout - so well done and, again, many thanks. I'm sure the team would be thrilled to engage you again. I hope you had a pleasant flight back, , delightful to work with you, you really brought a different focus to a banking conference and in the process provoked some great insights and conversations (oh, and in passing, you ruthlessly crushed your opponent in the debate :-))
On behalf of the team I would like to thank you very much for speaking at our conference at Randwick last Thursday. You shared a lot of fascinating information which supported our conference themes of embracing change, and encouraging idea generation, creativity, resilience, and innovation. You gave the audience and our business some great techniques to adopt to continue to improve our performance. We are looking forward to referring back to the content to absorb it further! There is genuine anticipation of your book being published. The conference was a great success and we continue to receive a lot of positive feedback, including in relation to your session so thank you very much for joining us and helping to make it a great event.
