Anne-Laure Le Cunff, PhD | Neuroscientist, Entrepreneur & Educator

My work focuses on the neuroscience of curiosity: the architecture behind why we seek, and how this system can be tuned or disrupted.

This research has led me to explore fascinating territories all connected to curiosity, from ADHD to AI, mental health to lifelong learning. I’m also interested in psychedelics, the nature of consciousness, tools for thought, and movement as mindfulness.

Every week, I write a newsletter which is read by more than 120,000 fellow curious minds. I also published a book, Tiny Experiments, a practical guide on how to live a more experimental life.

Please get in touch if any of this resonates. I’m open to speaking engagements, research collaborations, and writing opportunities — particularly projects exploring the intersection of neuroscience, technology, and human flourishing.

Where I’ve worked

Ness Labs, Founder & CEO (current)

King’s College London, Researcher (current)

Entrepreneur First, Founder in Residence

Google, Global Marketing Lead, Google Fit

Advisory roles

reMarkable Science Advisory Board

Applied Neuroscience Association

UKRI Mental Health Research

The Entrepreneurs Network

Founders Academy

Studies

URKI-funded Postdoctoral Fellowship

PhD, Psychology & Neuroscience, KCL

MSc, Applied Neuroscience, KCL

Select works

Tiny Experiments, a guide to developing an experimental mindset

Hypercuriosity Theory, a mismatch account of ADHD

Teeny Breaks, a browser extension to integrate mindful breaks into your workflow

Let’s connect

Misc.

All of my interviews, podcast appearances etc. can be found here. I’m also a contributor at Big Think. Oh, and this is how to pronounce my name.

Copy-paste ready snippets for event organizers and media :)

Biography

Dr Anne-Laure Le Cunff is the founder of Ness Labs and a UKRI-funded neuroscientist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, where she studies the neuroscience of curiosity and its applications to ADHD, AI, mental health, and lifelong learning. Her research focuses on applying neuroscience insights to support people across neurotypes throughout their education, career, and personal development. She is also the author of Tiny Experiments (Penguin Random House / Profile Books) and previously worked as an executive on Google’s digital health team. She holds a PhD in Psychology & Neuroscience and an MSc in Applied Neuroscience, both from King’s College London. She lives in London.

Public Speaking

Dr Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s public speaking experience ranges from 1,000-plus audiences at Barbican Hall and the Austin Convention Center to intimate gatherings at Soho House. She has delivered lectures and workshops at leading institutions including Oxford University, the University of Chicago, the University of Iowa, the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, and the Harvard Alumni community, and has led skill-building sessions for organizations such as Yelp, Qualcomm, KPMG, HubSpot, the World Economic Forum, reMarkable, and Automattic. As a keynote speaker, she has presented at events such as SXSW EDU, TEDx, Talks@Google, and Creative Mornings. She has also been featured in interviews, panels, and podcasts including Microsoft’s WorkLab, LinkedIn’s Hello Monday, Chris Williamson’s Modern Wisdom, Ali Abdaal’s YouTube channel, Family Action Network’s speaker series, and Big Think.

Selected Papers

Le Cunff, A. L., Dommett, E. J., & Giampietro, V. (2025). Neurodiversity and cognitive load in online learning: A pilot EEG and eye-tracking study. Neurodiversity, 3, 27546330251400677. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330251400677
Le Cunff, A. L. (2024). Distractibility and impulsivity in ADHD as an evolutionary mismatch of high trait curiosity. Evolutionary Psychological Science, 10(3), 282–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-024-00400-8
Le Cunff, A. L., Dommett, E., & Giampietro, V. (2024). Neurophysiological measures and correlates of cognitive load in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and dyslexia: A scoping review and research recommendations. European Journal of Neuroscience, 59(2), 256–282. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.16201

→ All papers