Nicco Reggente, PhD
Nicco Reggente, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and Research Director at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS), where he co-founded a 501(c)(3) research institute dedicated to advancing transformative, evidence-based neurotechnology. As Principal Investigator on all IACS research initiatives, Dr. Reggente leads interdisciplinary teams exploring the intersection of consciousness, neuroimaging, immersive technology, and human flourishing.
Dr. Reggente’s work centers on developing neuroimaging-informed, personalized neurotechnology that enables individuals to reliably achieve desired cognitive and experiential states. His research spans memory, consciousness, empathy, psychiatric disorders, and altered states, with a particular focus on leveraging immersive environments and neurofeedback to induce and reinstantiate beneficial qualia — including meditative and other expanded states of awareness.
Trained in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles (Ph.D., M.A.), and holding dual B.A. degrees in Philosophy and Psychology from New York University, Dr. Reggente bridges philosophy of mind with cutting-edge neurotechnology. His work has been published in leading journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Human Brain Mapping, and Frontiers in Neuroscience.
In addition to his research leadership, Dr. Reggente designs and teaches UCLA’s Laboratory in Functional Neuroimaging course, guiding students from MR physics through advanced machine learning applications in fMRI analysis. He is known for building research environments that combine academic rigor with startup agility — accelerating the translation of empirical findings into ecologically valid, real-world neurotechnology.
As an Advisor to Lumena, Dr. Reggente contributes scientific oversight and strategic guidance on neuroimaging, machine learning, and immersive-state induction — helping ensure that MindGym’s innovations are grounded in rigorous neuroscience while pushing the frontier of personalized cognitive training.