Pat Pataranutaporn •  Cyborg Scientist

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I am a

Cyborg

Scientist

Pat Pataranutaporn, PhD

Presented by Superhuman body + if/then
MY PATH

How I became an inventor, sci-fi creator, and cyborg scientist.

MAJOR INFLUENCES

  • Science Fiction

    From anime cartoons to sci-fi movies, I’ve always been captivated by the futuristic vibe and imagination that science fiction represents.

  • My Parents

    They encouraged me to play as a child, blending art and science whenever I got the change. These experiences stuck with me and have inspired the kind of scientist I am today.

  • Professor Pattie Maes

    She opened my eyes to see an area of  research I never knew existed! She’s also been a wonderful mentor who continues to inspire me.

Embrace setbacks as stepping stones, not roadblocks.

My path didn’t follow a straight line… I didn’t even like school as a kid! I loved dinosaurs and art, and leaning into the things I enjoyed opened doors in science that I didn’t know existed. When I first got rejected from MIT (my dream school), it felt like a major setback. But instead of giving up I looked for new paths forward, and learned things I wouldn’t have any other way. Through persistence, I still ended up at my dream school, it just looked a little different than I expected.

Major Milestones

Dinosaur Gift

I didn’t know it then, but receiving a dinosaur-themed gift as a child sparked a connection between art and science that shaped my life.

Exchange Student

I came to the US from Thailand for my final year of high school. I was exposed to powerful new ideas, like seeing Professor Pattie Maes’ TED Talk.

Attending ASU

Getting rejected from MIT was a harsh reality check, but I didn’t let it stop me. I dove into my interest in biology at ASU while feeding my curiosity about cyborgs and technology.

Grad School at MIT

After years of persistence and bold moves, I earned a spot in Professor Maes’ group where I earned my PhD.

Things I learned

along the way:

  • Give yourself permission to learn the way you want to.

    When I was initially learning to code, I didn’t want to do a dull technical program. Instead, I found the source code of Mario online, and turned every character into a dinosaur. That was much easier than trying to build a new game from scratch, and it was a fun way to practice my programming skills.

  • There's space for ethics in invention.

    I used to think technology was cool for its own sake, and that you could invent without worrying much about ethics. Over time, I realized how much the things we invent impact all of our wellbeing. It became important to me to question whether my creations were just cool or actually serving a positive purpose in the world. Now I make sure that my values drive the things I create.

  • Constantly put yourself in places where you'll be exposed to new ideas.

    When I first got started in biology, I didn’t know much about cyborgs or the field of human computer interaction. I learned things everywhere I went – as an exchange student, joining hackathons, reading sci-fi, going to Disney parks. It became very important to me to expand my knowledge, perspective, and imagination every chance I got.

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PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Disario • Illustrator: Erik Suswanto

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