Headshot of John W. Krakauer.

John W. Krakauer

Director of the Centre for Restorative Neurotechnology, Champalimaud Foundation
Professor of neurology, Johns Hopkins University

John Krakauer is director of the Centre for Restorative Neurotechnology at the Champalimaud Foundation and John C. Malone professor of neurology, neuroscience, and physical medicine and rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University. He is also an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute. Krakauer is a world leader in motor control and stroke recovery, and his work bridges the gap between basic neuroscience, creative engineering and the philosophy of mind. At the Champalimaud Foundation, he leads the “software as medicine” initiative, using immersive animation, generative artificial intelligence and digital neurotherapeutics to treat chronic neurological and psychiatric conditions. 

He is co-inventor of the “MindPod Dolphin,” an FDA-listed neuro-rehabilitation technology licensed to MindMaze. He is also the author of “Broken Movement: The Neurobiology of Motor Recovery after Stroke” (MIT Press) and is currently writing a new book on the nature of intelligence for Princeton University Press. His research and unique approach to “exergaming” for brain health have been profiled in The New Yorker, The Atlantic and The New York Times.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Mother mouse and her offspring.

Maternity induces lasting gene-expression changes in mouse brains

The findings add to a small but growing body of research on neurological changes linked to pregnancy, birth and parenting.

By Amber Dance
12 June 2026 | 5 min read
Map of socioeconomic opportunity in the United States next to visualizations of functional connectivity and structure in sensory and motor cortices.

IQ’s link to brain structure, function in children may be a mirage

A child’s socioeconomic status, screen time and amount of sleep all show stronger associations with measures of brain structure and function, according to an imaging study of nearly 12,000 9- to 10-year-olds.

By Natalia Mesa
11 June 2026 | 5 min read
Photo collage of Tempest McDonald.

When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 2: “You need to go to college”

With just a high school equivalency degree and struggling as a single mother, Tempest McDonald is forced to shift her priorities.

By Brady Huggett
11 June 2026 | 28 min listen