Neuroscientist. Author. Decision Scientist.

Empowering the science of smarter decisions for leaders, teachers, students.

About
Dr. Stuart Zola

Dr. Stuart Zola is a neuroscientist whose work has shaped how we understand memory, decision-making, and cognitive health. From pioneering research on the brain’s memory systems to co-founding innovative neurotechnology companies, his career bridges science and real-world impact.

Today, he brings that expertise into classrooms and organizations through engaging talks and Visual Thinking workshops, rooted in the teachings of his mentor Tony Buzan, the grandfather of Visual Thinking, designed to make better decision-making accessible to all.

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Leadership is in the Cards Workshops

This workshop uses close-up card magic as laboratory for decision-making science. Poor decisions often happen in the same way deceptive magic happens: Attention is guided, assumptions are accepted, meaning is framed, and the real method hides in plain sight. The goal is not to make participants suspicious of everything in the decision process. It’s quite the opposite - the goal is to help the decider notice the hidden “moves” inside the decision-making process before those moves control the outcome.

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Visual Thinking / Decision Making Workshops

The Visual Thinking / Decision Making Workshop brings decision-making to life by combining proven frameworks with powerful visual tools like mind mapping. Designed for K-12 educators, students, corporate and industry leaders, the workshop transforms abstract thinking into something visible, structured, and actionable. 

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Upcoming Events

  • Trust Me, I’m Your Literary Agent! (Scam or No Scam?)

    3:00PM - 4:00 PM
    August 5, 2026
    Lenbrook Engaged Senior Living
    3747 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA

    Free and open to the public

  • Decisions…Decisions!! A How-to-Make-Better-Ones Workshop

    11:30AM - 1:00PM
    August 6, 2026

    REGISTER

  • Scam or No Scam?

    11:00AM - 12:00PM
    August 10, 2026
    The Holbrook Decatur
    1882 Clairmont Rd, Decatur, GA

    Free and open to the public

  • What? We Have Two Different Memory Systems in the Brain?

    11:30AM - 1:00PM
    August 13, 2026

    REGISTER

  • Really Strange Things People Do While Sleeping: The Science Of Sleep

    11:30AM - 1:00PM
    August 20, 2026

    REGISTER

  • Decide Already! The science and practice of better decision-making.

    9:00AM - 10:30AM
    September 11, 2026
    The Detour, at the Hatchery Center for Innovation at Emory University

    Free and open to the public

  • Decisions - How to make Better Ones!

    September 18-20, 2026
    Neurology World Conference, 2026
    Hilton Garden Inn, Miami Dolphin Mall, 
    Miami, Florida

    Conference Registration

Companies and Credentials

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Fellow

ThinkBuzan

Official Licensed Instructor

Mikki Williams Speakers School

Graduate

Member, Georgia Creative Economy Collective (CEC)

Member

Northeastern University

PhD, Neuroscience

Neurotrack, Inc.

Co-Founder

MapHabit, Inc.

Co-Founder

Quiet Developments, LLC

Founder & CEO