About Richard Anton
Cognitive Engineer · AI Systems Architect · Writer
I work at the intersection of cognitive science and artificial intelligence, designing systems that help both humans think better and machines think better. My projects span learning science, neurodivergent-friendly productivity, and AI agent design.
What I Focus On
🧠 Cognitive Performance & Learning Systems
I study how memory, attention, and motivation work—especially for adult learners and neurodivergent thinkers. I share this work through LearnedMemory.com, which includes research-backed techniques and a free effective study course.
🤖 AI Agents & Intelligent Systems
I build practical frameworks for AI agents, cognitive architectures, and LLM-driven automation.
On Medium, I write about topics including:
- agent planning and evaluation
- retrieval and memory layers
- multimodal reasoning and orchestration
- applied AI design patterns and systems thinking
I publish tools, patterns, and instructional materials for developers building real-world agentic systems.
👔 Technical Leadership & Systems Thinking
On LinkedIn, I share insights on technical leadership, decision-making frameworks, and effective engineering practices. My focus is on practical, grounded guidance drawn from real experience building and scaling software systems.
Why "Cognitive Engineering"?
Because the same principles that shape effective human cognition—clarity, structure, attention, memory, and feedback—also shape effective artificial systems.
Across my projects:
- LearnedMemory improves how people learn and retain knowledge.
- My AI and leadership writing improves how teams and systems reason together.
It's all part of one ecosystem: building better thinking systems.
The Cognitive Engineering Newsletter
Every 1–2 weeks, I share:
- insights from cognitive science and learning research
- experiments in attention and personal knowledge systems
- techniques for neurodivergent productivity
- AI agent design patterns and implementation notes
- behind-the-scenes updates from my research projects
If you're interested in human cognition, artificial cognition, or the space where they overlap, this newsletter is for you.
👉 Subscribe at https://ranton.org/newsletter
Projects
- LearnedMemory.com — Learning, memory, and cognitive science
- Medium (@ranton256) — Technical essays on AI systems
- LinkedIn — Leadership and cognitive engineering insights
- ranton.org/blog — Personal writing and research notes