BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuroFocus, the world leader in the rapidly-growing field of neuromarketing, announced today that it has named preeminent cognitive neuroscientist John Polich, Ph.D., as its Director of Global NeuroLab Operations.
The company made this selection as it ramps up the rollout of NeuroLabs in the U.S. and targets expansion in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Korea, India, and China as well.
NeuroLabs are stand-alone neuroelectric testing centers, designed, constructed, and fully staffed by NeuroFocus teams of neurophysiologists, analysts, and engineers, which operate at client sites. A NeuroLab performs the same full array of human neurophysiological testing and analysis as does NeuroFocus’ main laboratory at its Berkeley, CA, headquarters. That lab ranks as the world’s largest and most sophisticated EEG facility dedicated to consumer market research.
World’s Acknowledged Leading Expert In P300
Dr. Polich, 61, will oversee all NeuroLab operations for the company. He joins NeuroFocus from The Scripps Research Institute’s Molecular and Integrated Neuroscience Department (MIND), where he has long been considered one of the world’s leading authorities on electrical measures of human cognitive functions, with over 200 scientific articles published in major neuroscience journals. His 1995 article in Biological Psychology has been cited more than any other in the journal’s history, and his 2007 theoretical overview in Clinical Psychology is considered groundbreaking. Dr. Polich has spoken at dozens of international scientific meetings and is viewed as the world’s leading expert on the P300, a key index of brainwave activity used to measure attention, memory, and emotional neural activity in subjects.
“The addition of John Polich to our senior ranks, with his stature as a world leader in cognitive neurophysiology, is a major step forward for our company and represents an important new asset for our clients,” Dr. A.K. Pradeep, founder and Chief Executive Officer of NeuroFocus, said. “John’s unique combination of best-in-class scientific knowledge coupled with his proven ability to manage top-tier research and testing facilities and staff made him the ideal person to head our global NeuroLab operations.”
Dr. Polich assumes his new role as NeuroFocus is launching an international search for more of the world’s top neurological and research talent. Preparing to meet a projected 300% growth in client research assignments, NeuroFocus is making the goal of identifying and recruiting the world’s most skilled experts in these fields as one of the company’s key priorities in 2009.
“Demand for our neurological testing expertise worldwide is driving this recruitment goal,” Dr. Pradeep said. “We want to talk to those who are at the top of these professions. While jobs are disappearing and economies are in decline, NeuroFocus is experiencing dramatic growth. Our customers are seeing that they can achieve much more accurate and actionable research results, and make their product development and marketing dollars work much more effectively and efficiently by tapping into the power of neurocognitive testing.”
Improved ROI Across All Sectors
“As major clients experience the demonstrated improvements that a NeuroLab makes across their entire product design and marketing operations, as well as the potential it offers for improving almost every other aspect of their business, from investor relations to HR to communications and many more, they also see the real-world advantages in terms of ROI,” Dr. Pradeep said. “In today’s economic climate, a NeuroLab is a very cost-efficient and effective means of improving ROI across the board; and that explains why we’re seeing such keen interest from companies in building NeuroLabs with us.”
Dr. Polich was on the faculty of the MIND Department at The Scripps Research Institute for more than 25 years, and also taught in the Psychology Department at the University of California, San Diego. Prior to that, he held research positions at the Neuropsychology Laboratory at the Salk Institute, the Neurology Department at the Medical School of the University of California at Irvine, and the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Illinois.
Dr. Polich received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Dartmouth. He graduated with honors from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor’s degree in Experimental Psychology.
About NeuroFocus
NeuroFocus is the market leader in bringing neuroscience to the world of advertising, marketing, product development and packaging, and entertainment. The company leverages doctorate-level academic expertise in neuroscience and marketing from Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, and the Hebrew University combined with C-suite level business management and consulting experience.
NeuroFocus clients include Fortune 100 companies across the consumer package goods, food and beverage, financial services, automotive, and retail sectors. Entertainment category clients include major companies in the broadcast and cable television and motion picture industries. The Nielsen Company is a strategic investor in NeuroFocus.
CONTACT: Tom Robbins of NeuroFocus, +1-510-367-1920,
thomas.robbins@neurofocus.com
Web site: http://www.neurofocus.com/
