Lee von Kraus

I've built underwater robots for the US EPA, assisted NASA in scuba search and recovery of rare aquatic organisms, created novel synthetic connections in the brain with DARPA, served as a volunteer firefighter lieutenant in NYC, a wilderness first responder (WFR), and a space and wilderness medicine instructor for the Project PoSSUM citizen scientist astronautics program.

After earning a PhD in neuroscience, I invented a novel method for non-invasively delivering electrical current to the human brain. This formed the foundation of Halo Neuroscience, a startup I cofounded in 2012, which developed neural augmentation technology used by athletes in the NFL, NBA, US Olympic teams, and elite military units. In 2017 I cofounded Rocean, a startup merging technology with market forces to reduce household plastic pollution flowing into our oceans. Rocean's technology was included in Time Magazine's 100 Best Inventions of 2020. Rocean and Halo Neuroscience were acquired in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

I'm currently leading research at Electric Plant Company and Open Minded Scientists (a 501c3 nonprofit), while serving as a mentor at Techstars startup accelerator, Weill Cornell Medicine, NYU School of Engineering, and Columbia University.

My work has been noted in Time Magazine, Wired, Outside, BBC, MoMA, Sports Illustrated, and The New York Times.

Twitter: @LeevonKraus

LinkedIn: /in/LeeMvonKraus

NY Maps:

Good Books:

Protein Engineering:

Protein Engineering and Design by Sheldon Park
Protein Engineering Protocols by Katja Arndt
Protein Engineering in Industrial Biotechnology by Lilia Alberghina
Molecular Evolution by Wen Hsiung Li
Structure and Mechanism in Protein Science by Alan Fersht
Principles of Gene Manipulation by S.B. Primrose
Microbial Biotechnology by Alexander Glazer
Principles of Biochemistry by David Nelson
Biochemistry by Pamela Champe

Wilderness Survival:

Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski
Wilderness Survival by Gregory Davenport
Where There is No Doctor by David Werner
http://www.survivaltopics.com/ (survival topics)
http://www.primitiveways.com/ (primitive ways)

Urban Exploration:

Access All Areas by Ninjalicious
A Field Guide to Roadside Technology by Ed Sobey
Mole People by Jennifer Toth
http://www.uer.ca/ (urban exploration resource)

Mathematics:

Applied Calculus for Scientists and Engineers by Frank Blume
Mathematics Dictionary by E. J. Borowski
Matrix Analysis and Applied Linear Algebra by Carl Meyer
Differential Equation with Matlab by Brian Hunt

- mathematical biology:

Evolutionary Dynamics by Nowak
Mathematical Biology, an Introduction by Murray
An Introduction to Systems Biology by Alon
Practical Statistics for Field Biology

Machine Learning:

Machine Learning in Action by Peter Harrington
Introduction to Machine Learning by Ethem Alpaydin
Reinforcement Learning by Sutton and Barto
Data Mining by Ian Witten
Kernel Methods for Pattern Analysis by John Shawe-Taylor
http://academicearth.org/courses/machine-learning (Andrew Ng video lectures)

Building:

- boats:

Boat Building and Boating by Daniel Beard
Handmade Houseboats by Russel Conder
Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding by George Buehler
Ultrasimple Boat Building by Gavin Atkin
http://www.pdracer.com/ (puddle duck racer)

- planes:

Progress in Flying Machines by Octave Chanut

Vehicle / Equipment Operation:

- boating:

The Annapolis Book of Seamanship by John Rousmanier
Start Sailing Right by American Red Cross
Nautical Almanac (for astral navigation)

- planes:

Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche
Hang Gliding Training Manual by Dennis Pagan
Understanding the Sky by Dennis Pagan

- SCUBA:

Adventures in Diving Manual
NOAA Diving Manual: Diving for Science and Technology
http://www.coastguardtraining.com/rem_diving/default.htm (affordable commercial diving school)

- space:

Lunar Base Handbook by Eckart
Spaceflight Life Support and Bospherics by Peter Eckart
Terraforming, the Creating of Habitable Worlds by Martin Beech

Robotics / Electronics:

Understanding Electricity and Electronics by Randy Slone
Mobile Robots, 2nd edition by Jones, Flynn, Seiger
Principles of Digital Design by Daniel Gajski
Robot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon Mccomb
PIC Microcontroller Project Book by John Iovine
Handmade Electronic Music by Nicolas Collins
Digital Electronics for Scientists by Malmstadt / Enke

Hacking:

Hacking, The Art of Exploitation by Jon Erickson
Hacking the XBox by Bunnie Huang
Hacker Disassembling Uncovered by Kris Kaspersky
The Little Black Book of Email Viruses by Mark Allen Ludwig
2600 magazine subscription

Parapsychology:

Unbelievable by Stacy Horn
The Conscious Universe by Dean Radin
Entangled Minds by Dean Radin
Hauntings and Poltergeists edited by James Houran

Ecology / Physiology:

Botany in a Day by Thomas Elpel
Physiological Plant Ecology by W. Larcher
Biology of Plants by Raven, Evert, Eichhorn
Foundations of Parasitology by Geralrd Schmidt
Biology of Earthworms by Edwards and Lofty
The Other Insect Societies by James Costa
Destructive and Useful Insects by Metcalf

'Popular' Science:

Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer
The Private Life of Plants by David Attenborough
Life in the Undergrowth by David Attenborough
The Life of Birds by David Attenborough
Life in Cold Blood by David Attenborough
Life on Earth by David Attenborough
Phantoms in the Brain by Ramachandran

Neurobiology:

The Development of Intersensory Perception by Lewkowitz
Bioelectricity by Suckling
Corticonics by Abeles
Microcircuits by Grillner
Networks of the Brain by Olaf Sporns
The Mutable Brain by Jon Kaas
Neurophysiology of Consciousness by Benjamin Libet
Quest for Consciousness by Christof Koch
The Merging of the Senses by Stein and Meredith
Behavior and its Neural Control in Gastropod Molusks by Ronald Chase
Animal Bodies, Human Minds

Adventure:

Suffer and Survive by Martin Goodman
Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl
Seaworthy by T.R. Pearson
The Heart of the Arctic by Ernest Shackleton
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth

Geology:

Sedminentary Geology by Prothero, Schwab
Earth's Climate Past and Future by Ruddman

Physics:

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by David Griffiths

Research:

I'm a member of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC), the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC), and the National Coalition of Independent Scholars (NCIS).

I'm currently leading research at Electric Plant Company, where we are recording electrophysiological signals from living plants and using machine learning to decode information about the plant's health state and its surrounding environment. I'm also leading research at Open Minded Scientists (OMS), a multi-disciplinary consortium of doctors, scientists, and engineers distributed across North America, conducting research on the foundations of consciousness. We are currently studying "perimortem observations" (PMOs), and their potential underlying physical mechanisms. OMS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

My previous research has focused on neural engineering using tissue & materials engineering, electrophysiological circuit reprogramming via patterned microstimulation, and pharmacological manipulation of neuronal connectivity.

Creating Novel, Long Distance, Cross-Modal Connectivity:

The brain's long distance connections ("white matter") are thouight to perform a fundamental role in the cognitive abilities of different species. These connections are not as easily modified by experience as shorter, more local connections ("grey matter"). Because of this, the engineering of white matter relies on the physical creation of novel "prosthetic" connectivity via tissue engineering.

Modifying Sensorimotor Memories:

The natural learning of new "muscle memories" (sensorimotor memories) takes great time and effort, because it involves many repetitions of sensing the environment and actuating an appropriate response. Because of this, the formation of sensorimotor memories is more limited by behavioral factors than by brain circuitry's actual potential for change. However, the creation, deletion, or modification of sensorimotor memories can also be electronically induced by spatiotemporally patterned microstimulation of the cortex via microelectrode grids, or by pharmacological manipulation via microcannular injections. The effectiveness of these techniques has the potential to be further augmented by larger scale, non-invasive techniques, such transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS).