Episode
Emergence: From Group Homes to Groundbreaking Science with David Sussillo
- Podcast
- Fostering Change
- Published
- May 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 891
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://youtu.be/dj6McdHZk6o
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Summary
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by David Sussillo, a neuroscientist, author, and former youth who experienced a childhood marked by instability, poverty, and time in group homes. His story begins in environments many children in foster care and group settings know all too well — uncertainty, trauma, and systems that don’t always provide the support they should. But his story doesn’t end there. Through a combination of resilience, critical intervention, and moments where someone stepped in, David found a path forward. Today, he is a leading neuroscientist who has worked at Stanford, Google, and Meta, studying the very thing that shaped his life: the human brain. His memoir, Emergence, is not just a story of survival — it is a powerful reminder of what can happen when even one opportunity changes the trajectory of a child’s life. This conversation challenges us to ask a difficult but necessary question: how many children are out there right now, just one moment away from a different future? Episode Highlights Growing up in instability, poverty, and group home environments How trauma shapes memory, identity, and development The role of mentors, teachers, and small interventions From survival to success in neuroscience and research Reflecting on resilience, loss, and the paths not taken About the Guest David Sussillo is a neuroscientist, author, and adjunct professor at Stanford University. After a childhood marked by instability and time in group homes, he earned a PhD in computational neuroscience from Columbia University and has worked at leading institutions, including Google Brain and Meta. His memoir, Emergence: A Memoir of Boyhood, Computation, and the Mysteries of Mind, tells the story of his journey from trauma to transformation. Key Ques…