Stephen F. Sands

PH.D. · BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Professor of Practice, Department of Computer Science — University of Texas at El Paso Founder & Chief Science Officer — Sands Research, Inc.
✉ ssands@utep.edu Department of Computer Science, UTEP · El Paso, TX
01

Biography

Stephen F. Sands is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Texas at El Paso.

His career spans foundational research in primate cognition and visual memory, the invention of commercial EEG hardware and software platforms that achieved ~80% worldwide market share, and pioneering applications of neuroscience to human factors, neuromarketing, and clinical neuroimaging.

He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (1979) and completed a National Eye Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship before joining UTEP. He served as a Visiting Research Professor at Harvard Medical School's Department of Psychiatry (1987–1989).

Dr. Sands founded Neuroscan Inc. in 1985, growing it into the world's leading research EEG company — developer of the SCAN and STIM software platforms and the SynAmp amplifier series — before its acquisition by the Marmon Group and later Compumedics. He subsequently founded Sands Research, Inc., one of the top five neuromarketing firms globally, with Fortune 500 clients including Microsoft, Disney, Ford, and Walmart.

Committee Member
National Academy of Sciences, 2013
EEG Human Factors
Education
Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences
Univ. of Texas GSBS, 1979
Market Impact
~80% Worldwide EEG Market Share
Neuroscan / SCAN Software
Patent
U.S. Patent 7,840,248
Online EEG/MEG Source Reconstruction
Current Role
Professor of Practice, CS
University of Texas at El Paso
02

Career

2023–
Professor of Practice
Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso
2015–2022
Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTEP
2008–
Chairman & Chief Science Officer
Sands Research, Inc.
2005–2007
Senior Research Scientist
SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
2004–2005
Chief Science Officer
Neuroscan Compumedics
1985–2004
Chairman & Founder → President
Neuroscan Inc. / Neuroscan Compumedics
1987–1989
Research Visiting Professor
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
1983–1993
Assistant → Associate Professor (tenured)
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso
1982–1983
Member of Technical Staff
Exploratory Voice Systems, Bell Laboratories, Naperville, IL
1979–1981
NEI Postdoctoral Fellow → Research Assistant Professor
University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
03

Selected Publications

1980
Sands, S.F., & Wright, A.A. Primate memory: Retention of serial list items by a rhesus monkey. Science, 209, 938–940. → doi
1980
Sands, S.F., & Wright, A.A. Serial probe recognition performance by a rhesus monkey and a human with 10- and 20-item lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 6, 386–396. → doi
1982
Sands, S.F., Lincoln, C.E., & Wright, A.A. Pictorial similarity judgments and the organization of visual memory in the rhesus monkey. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 111, 369–389. → doi
1982
Sands, S.F., & Wright, A.A. Human and monkey pictorial memory scanning. Science, 216, 1333–1334. → doi
1985
Wright, A.A., Santiago, H.C., Sands, S.F., Kendrick, D.F., & Cook, R.G. Memory processing of serial lists by people, monkeys, and pigeons. Science, 229, 287–289. → doi
1990
Nestor, P.G., Faux, S.F., McCarley, R.W., Shenton, M.E., & Sands, S.F. Measurement of visual sustained attention in schizophrenia using signal detection analysis and a newly developed computerized CPT task. Schizophrenia Research, 3, 329–332. → doi
1996
DeFrance, J.F., Sands, S.F., et al. Topographical analyses of attention disorders of childhood. International Journal of Neuroscience, 87, 41–61. → doi
2001
Sutherling, W.W., Akhtari, M., Mamelak, A.N., …, & Sands, S. Dipole localization of human induced focal afterdischarge seizure in simultaneous MEG and ECoG. Brain Topography, 14, 101–116. → doi
2004
Ford, M.R., Sands, S., & Lew, H.L. Overview of artifact reduction and removal in evoked potential and event-related potential recordings. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 15, 1–17. → doi
2004
Fuchs, M., Ford, M.R., Sands, S., & Lew, H. Overview of dipole localization. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 15, 251–262. → doi
2012
Sands, S.F., & Sands, J.A. Recording brain waves at the supermarket: What can we learn from a shopper's brain? IEEE Pulse, 3(3), 34–37. → doi
04

Patent & Awards

U.S. Patent 7,840,248
Online Source Reconstruction for EEG/MEG and ECG/MCG
Fuchs, M., & Sands, S.F.
→ View Patent
2013
Committee Member — National Academy of Sciences
Section: EEG Human Factors
1997
Distinguished Alumnus Award
California State University at Long Beach
05

Industry & Innovation

Selected milestones from Neuroscan Inc. and Sands Research, Inc.
1991
Neuroscan won NINDS RFP for world's first 128-channel EEG system, supplied to the Motor Control Unit, NIH (Dir. Mark Hallett, M.D.)
1998
Neuroscan sold to the Marmon Group; $10M annual revenue in 7 years with no external funding, 100% equity retained. SCAN 4.0 achieves 80% worldwide market share with 2,000+ licenses in 65 countries.
1998
Acquired CURRY imaging division from Philips Medical; established European office in Hamburg, Germany
2000–2004
FDA 510(k) clearances obtained for Medicor 8, SCAN LT40, SynAmps, Source EEG, and CURRY Multimodal Neuroimaging Software; ISO 9001, ISO 13485, FDA 21 CFR 800 certifications
2003
SynAmp2 released; SynAmp1 completes 12-year lifespan with 1,900+ units sold worldwide
2005
MAGLINK EEG-in-MRI system deployed to UC Berkeley, UCLA, Caltech, Stanford, Yale, Emory, Washington University, and other major research sites
2007–2016
Sands Research becomes a top-five global neuromarketing firm. Clients include Microsoft, AT&T, Disney, Ford, Walmart, Intel, Warner Brothers, and Nestlé, among others.
2008
Sands Research won NINDS RFP for TMS-compatible EEG system for NIH Motor Control Unit. Developed 136-channel EEG amplifier for 4-D Neuroimaging MEG systems deployed across Europe.
06

Contact

Email
ssands@utep.edu
Department
Computer Science, UTEP
Stephen F. Sands, Ph.D.
Professor of Practice
Department of Computer Science
University of Texas at El Paso
500 W University Ave
El Paso, TX 79968