Sean Gourley

Sean Gourley is founder and former CEO of Primer and previously held the position of CTO at Quid, an augmented-intelligence company he co-founded. Before his time at Quid, he worked on self-repairing nano-circuits at NASA Ames.

He holds a PhD in physics from Oxford, acquired as a Rhodes Scholar, where his research focused on complex systems and the mathematical patterns underlying modern warfare. This research garnered significant recognition and was published on the cover of "Nature." Beyond academia, he has extensive experience as a political advisor, having briefed USCENTCOM at the Pentagon, addressed the United Nations in Vienna, and even ran for national elected office in New Zealand. He has also contributed to the field of nanotechnology as a co-founder of New Zealand's first nanotech company.

Gourley’s insights into the intersection of data science and policy decision-making have led him to deliver presentations such as "Big Data and the Rise of Augmented Intelligence" at TEDxAuckland and "Augmenting Humans to Make Better Policy Decisions." He also discusses the effects of disruptive technology across various sectors in his presentation "The New Corporate Intelligence." He remains active in several advisory roles, sits on the Knight Commission, serves on the Board of Directors at Anadarko (NYSE:APC), and is a TED Fellow, continuously exploring the synergy between human cognition and machine intelligence to enhance societal and corporate decision-making processes.