Blackbox Bio

About

Scientists, engineers, and builders making behavior measurable.

We are a behavioral analysis platform company developing integrated hardware and machine learning–based systems for quantitative measurement in preclinical research. Our platform enables precise, automated analysis of complex behaviors, helping researchers generate high-quality, reproducible data at scale across academic, government, and pharmaceutical laboratories.

Our technology was developed at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where the need for more objective and scalable behavioral measurement became clear, and continues to advance in close collaboration with leading academic and industry investigators.

We are a team of scientists, engineers, and builders united by a shared mission to develop and scale the most advanced machine learning tools designed to characterize and predict behavior. Headquartered in Lewisville, TX, we work with partners around the world to push the boundaries of preclinical research.

People

Our Team

Ryan Sadlo

Ryan SadloMBA

CEO & Co-Founder

Ryan Sadlo is the CEO and Co-Founder of Blackbox, a behavioral analysis platform company that develops integrated hardware and machine learning–based systems for preclinical research. A life science executive and entrepreneur, Ryan has extensive experience bringing innovative, life-changing technologies from the lab to broad adoption.

Under Ryan’s leadership, Blackbox supports over 100 laboratories and thousands of users worldwide. The company is focused on empowering researchers with advanced tools to accelerate the development of novel therapies and improve patient outcomes.

Prior to Blackbox, Ryan was the first employee at Podimetrics, an MIT spinout focused on improving outcomes for patients with diabetes. He led the commercialization of a virtual care management solution designed to reduce the incidence of diabetic foot ulcers, helping bring a novel approach to market and into clinical use.

Ryan began his career as a naval architect after earning a BS from Webb Institute, and later received his MBA from Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business.

Alex Zhang

Alex ZhangPhD

CSO & Co-Inventor

Dr. Zhang is a neuroscientist with expertise in AI-driven behavioral analysis. He earned his PhD in Neuroscience from Harvard University in 2023, where he leveraged advanced AI and machine learning techniques to investigate behavioral changes associated with neurological conditions such as chronic pain. As a co-inventor of Blackbox Bio’s core technology, his doctoral research provided the intellectual and scientific foundation for the company.

Austin Walters

Austin Walters

Manufacturing Lead

Campbell Cole

Campbell Cole

Lead Software Engineer

Phelan Traylor

Phelan Traylor

Lead Product Specialist

Shawn Pavey

Shawn Pavey

Data Scientist

Board & Advisors

  • Lee Barrett

    PhD

    Board Chairman

  • Clifford Woolf

    MD, PhD

    Advisor

  • Nick Andrews

    PhD

    Advisor

  • Russell Teubner

    Tech Entrepreneur

    Advisor

  • Graham Gardner

    Entrepreneur

    Advisor

Interested in learning more?

We are transforming rodent behavior screening by partnering with researchers to deliver automated, high-throughput behavioral analysis that enables deeper insights and more reproducible results. Contact us to learn how Blackbox can support your lab.

Heatmap of a mouse paw print showing weight distribution