education

Renowned Applied Linguist and Speech-Language Pathologist joins the Cognixion team

Lucas Steuber, Renowned Applied Linguist and Speech-Language Pathologist, joins the Cognixion team full-time.

One of the world’s best-known Speech-Language Pathologists - and among the foremost experts in Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology (AAC) - left a position directing product for the largest company in the industry in order to join Cognixion the world’s most advanced and accessible Assistive Technology company.

Lucas Steuber, MA Applied Linguistics, MS CCC/SLP, is an American-born Linguist and Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in supplements and alternatives to oral speech, such as augmentative/alternative communication (AAC). As a researcher, clinician, and consultant, and like many in our field, it was a family need that led him to this vocation; as a result, Lucas is a prolific writer, public speaker, and activist. While you may not have heard of the products this three-time Best of CES Winner has created, you’ve certainly seen them in use. 

Having just served as the Global Product Manager, Director of Product Management, and Director of Customer Journey for Tobii Dynavox, he personally made decisions that sparked 4,600% unit sales growth in their flagship software product, trimmed and honed messaging and portfolio, and prepared two Product Managers to jointly replace him. Prior to that he was the Director of Clinical Content for Avaz in Chennai, India, where he aided in the creation of the titular Avaz app and co-created FreeSpeech, both of which consistently trend in the top five in multiple iOS App Store categories

Lucas now joins Cognixion, a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) development company as Director of Product Management. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, but with research and development primarily in Toronto, Ontario, Lucas will split his time between the sites, as he has done in the past between the United States, Sweden, and elsewhere.

Cognixion is a mission-driven company, aiming to unlock speech for hundreds of millions of people worldwide affected by communication disabilities. By providing affordable and accessible technologies that are powered by AI (artificial intelligence), the world will look and feel very different in the next decade. We will be interacting with far more AI-Powered People at school, at work and on the go. Imagine a world where there are thousands of creators, scientists, artists, engineers, change-makers and philosophers just like Stephen Hawking, contributing to society now that they have a voice. 

We are on the cusp of a potential renaissance in assistive technology; “for some people technology makes things easier, for others technology makes things possible.” It’s only a matter of years now before what we call accessibility becomes synonymous with personalization. I can’t wait to help to get us there - and am thrilled to be young enough to watch.

Lucas also serves as Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) for the AAC development firm Socky, based out of Israel. Prior to his current work, Lucas founded the educational network SpeechScience, from which he is best known for co-hosting the podcast Talking With Tech that reaches as much as 1/5th of the world's SLPs, as well as serving as a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist in the public schools, private practice, and home health.

In addition, he holds positions in the strategic planning and core working groups of the Autism Society of America. The nonprofit funding organization Adler’s Voice, and serves in a variety of advisory roles for both United States and international Speech-Language Pathology and rehabilitation engineering licensing bodies.

Lucas can be reached at lucas@cognixion.com and can be relied upon to be the primary point of contact for all Assistive software, clinical, and marketing inquiries moving forward.