Matthew Hays

Matthew Hays, Ph.D., is a cognitive scientist and e-learning executive serving as Senior Vice President of Research & Analytics at Amplifire. Holding a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from UCLA—where he trained under renowned learning researchers Robert and Elizabeth Bjork—he specializes in applying human memory and learning principles to adaptive e-learning platforms, soft-skills simulators, and AI-powered analytics tools. Over a 12-year tenure at Amplifire, Dr. Hays built the research, data science, and analytics functions from the ground up, leading customer ROI modeling, controlled outcome evaluations, and the strategic alignment of cognitive science with the company's AI initiatives and intellectual property. Backed by a career that includes developing life-saving training systems at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies, four granted patents, and over 1,500 academic citations, he bridges academic rigor with executive sales strategy to deliver evidence-based training platforms that yield measurable real-world outcomes.