Startup NASA Feature Webinar: CognitionIQ

When: Tue, 11/10/2026 at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time)

Explore how CognitionIQ is transforming NASA technology into next‑generation cognitive insight tools. This Startup NASA Feature Webinar will highlight an emerging health‑technology company using NASA‑developed oculometric science to measure cognitive function through involuntary eye movement, with promising applications in athletics, healthcare, occupational safety, defense, and human performance.

CognitionIQ advances this capability through a patented oculometric assessment algorithm built on years of federally funded research. Their rapid, VR‑based workflow delivers standardized cognitive data in minutes, offering a measurable alternative to traditional symptom‑based evaluations. Designed for real‑world scalability, the platform supports critical decision-making across sports medicine, operational safety, memory care, defense, and research settings. Join us to hear about their journey from early innovation to a scalable platform reshaping how cognitive performance is measured.

Luke Nilles is co-founder and CEO of CognitionIQ, an early-stage health-technology company emerging from NASA’s Tech Transfer University (T2U) and the Innovation Scholars partnership at the University of St. Thomas. CognitionIQ is working to commercialize NASA-developed oculometric technology that uses involuntary eye movements to produce objective insight into cognitive function, with potential applications spanning athletics, healthcare, occupational safety, defense, and human performance.

Luke originally joined Innovation Scholars as an MBA student, leading an interdisciplinary team tasked with evaluating the commercial potential of a portfolio of NASA technologies. What began as a university commercialization project ultimately became CognitionIQ, with members of the Innovation Scholars team continuing forward as the company’s founding team.

Luke brings more than two decades of experience across entrepreneurship, business operations, construction, real estate, and hospitality. He earned his MBA from the University of St. Thomas and has continued his graduate studies in public affairs at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School. His work with CognitionIQ centers on transforming promising federal research into a viable, scalable company, while navigating the practical realities of licensing, team formation, product development, validation, funding, and market entry.