How to Learn Like a Neuroscientist - Greg Detre

Ever wondered how to make training actually stick?

Greg Detre turned his PhD research on why we forget things into revolutionary learning products used by over 70 million people. From putting people in brain scanners at Princeton to building Channel 4's award-winning data science team, his rare combination of neuroscience and AI expertise has transformed how teams learn and grow.

As co-founder of Memrise and Rehearsable.ai (with Georgie Peake), Greg's methods have been battle-tested at Fortune 50 companies and startups alike. But this isn't just about fancy degrees - Greg openly shares how he learned to make training work in the real world, including the sessions that fell flat and the surprising power of deliberate mistakes.

Key Talking Points:

• Why cramming a team into a 2-day workshop is scientifically designed to fail (and what to do instead)
• How pair programming revealed the "blunt axes" holding back an entire data science team
• The counter-intuitive approach that transformed Channel 4's data team in just 12 months
• Why making more mistakes than everyone else can become your superpower in AI and leadership

Links & Resources:

• Greg’s Blog
• Greg’s Website
• Greg’s LinkedIn
• Lecture: "Gin and the Cognitive Surplus" by Clay Shirky
• Rehearsable.ai

Today's Exercise: The Five Whys Post-Mortem

This blameless review process helps teams learn deeply from mistakes and build psychological safety. Instead of finger-pointing, it reveals systemic improvements that prevent future issues.

Steps to Apply:

1. When something goes wrong, gather the team
2. Ask "why" five times to dig deeper than surface issues
3. Document multiple root causes at different levels (process, culture, systems)
4. Choose 1-2 specific improvements to implement
5. Schedule follow-up to check if changes are working
6. Celebrate the learning opportunity rather than dwelling on the mistake