Al Seckel

Al Seckel stopped doing research from the California Institute of Technology in 2005 to focus on philanthropic activities, although he still gives lectures in his areas of expertise: cognitive neuroscience and the science of perception. Seckel is one of the world's leading experts in the field of visual and other types of sensory illusions, and is the author of over 18 books, many related to the science of visual perception. He has lectured at many of the world's most prestigious institutions and universities on these topics, as well as the TED conference, where he spoke twice.

Two of his books have won prestigious national awards: First place award (2001) for "Best Book for Reluctant Young Readers" by the American Library Association for Optical Illusions, Carlton Books, 2000 and again in 2007.

Seckel has been very active in raising educational awareness of science related issues for over thirty years, and has had his own column in the Los Angeles Times and Santa Monica News on science-related topics. During the 1980s, he arranged monthly meetings related to science and pseudoscience on the campuses of Caltech, UCLA, CalState Fullerton, and UC San Diego. Passionate about education and developing creative thinking tools, Seckel spends a great deal of time mentoring gifted students. Seckel is a member of John Brockman’s Third Culture, The Edge, a prestigious group of leading world thinkers, and is on the Board of Directors of the Pete Conrad Foundation. He formerly served as the Executive Director, and Senior Board Advisor on the Ocean X PRIZE project at the X PRIZE Foundation, and now serves as Executive Director of the GlobalSolver Foundation.