Samuel Skotnikov

Samuel Skotnikov is a neurotechnology founder and a student at Harvard College, where he is studying biomedical engineering and applied mathematics. He co-founded Lucen, which is developing a neural interface that reads intent with focused ultrasound from outside the skull, without surgery.

Skotnikov grew up in Flower Mound, Texas. At Marcus High School, he and teammates Chanyoung Kim and Eeshaan Prashanth spent about 18 months building NeuroFlex, a non-invasive, brain-controlled bionic leg for a friend and classmate. The project won the $50,000 Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, and the team’s story was covered by Here & Now (NPR and WBUR) and CBS News Texas.