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.
Our Team
Ryan Sadlo
MBA
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
PhD
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
Manufacturing Lead
Campbell Cole
Lead Software Engineer
Phelan Traylor
Lead Product Specialist
Shawn Pavey
Data Scientist
Board & Advisors
Lee Barrett
PhD
Board Chairman
Dr. Barrett is Research Lab Chief for the Woolf lab at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the high-throughput drug screening core at Boston Children’s Hospital. He completed his PhD in Neuropharmacology at Imperial College London and postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Clifford Woolf
MD, PhD
Advisor
Dr. Woolf was Chair of Neurobiology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School. He is an internationally renowned neuroscience opinion leader and serial entrepreneur, having most recently co-founded clinical-stage drug development company Nocion Therapeutics with Dr. Roberson.
Nick Andrews
PhD
Advisor
Dr. Andrews is director of the Behavior Testing Core (BTC) at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies. He previously led drug safety programs at Pfizer, where he developed expertise in phenotyping rodent models of CNS disorders and in behavioral screening techniques for drug effects.
Russell Teubner
Tech Entrepreneur
Advisor
Mr. Teubner is a serial tech entrepreneur who most recently served as Founder and CEO of Hostbridge Technologies, which was acquired by Broadcom in 2022. Mr. Teubner also serves as a Director of Simmons First National Corporation and the Oklahoma State University Research Foundation.
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.
© Blackbox Bio 2026