Sebastian Koenig

AI systems in health & education | Founder, Katana AI | Builder & systems thinker

Herston, Queensland, Australia

About

I build AI systems. Most of my work sits in health, education, and research settings, where systems have to operate within real constraints and interact with real people. My background is in clinical psychology, human-computer interaction, and digital health. Over nearly two decades, I’ve worked across research and applied environments, designing and developing systems alongside clinicians, researchers, and institutions. The focus of my work is on how systems behave in practice - how they are used, where friction appears, and how design decisions play out in real contexts, including the ethical implications that come with them. Alongside building, I spend a small part of my time working with leadership teams, translating between technical capability, system behaviour, ethics, and organisational decision-making. This usually takes the form of focused conversations, briefings, or workshops around AI literacy and early-stage strategy. If you’re trying to get a clearer understanding of what AI systems mean in your specific context, I’m always open to a conversation.

Experience

  • Founder and CEO at Katana AI
    Feb 2014 - Present · 12 yrs 5 mos

    Katana AI (formerly Katana Simulations) designs and builds AI-driven systems for health, education, and research. The focus is on real-world deployment - systems that operate within clinical workflows, educational settings, and research environments, where constraints are non-negotiable and failure modes matter. Work ranges from applied research collaborations to bespoke system development, particularly in cases where off-the-shelf solutions are insufficient or introduce risk. This is hands-on work: system design, development, evaluation, and iteration in close collaboration with domain experts. In parallel, I occasionally work with organisations earlier in the process - helping them understand what they are actually committing to when adopting AI systems.

  • Research Lead at Red 5 Studios
    Jan 2013 - Dec 2013 · 1 yr

    Conducting large-scale data analysis, experiments and user tests to evaluate player behavior and research cognition and motivation. Design surveys for 1+ million users. Inform management and design teams about player behavior trends.

  • University of Southern California (2 yrs 8 mos)
    • Research Associate
      Dec 2012 - Dec 2013 · 1 yr 1 mo

      Oversee design, development and testing efforts for virtual reality and game-based rehabilitation tools. Project management of interdisciplinary software development projects.

    • Postdoctoral Research Scholar
      May 2011 - Dec 2012 · 1 yr 8 mos

      Developing and testing Virtual Reality-based assessments and trainings for rehabilitation.

  • PhD Candidate at HIT Lab New Zealand
    Aug 2008 - Apr 2012 · 3 yrs 9 mos

    Development and evaluation of individualized virtual environments for cognitive rehabilitation. Conducting clinical trials in a large rehabilitation clinic, working within clinical teams, assessing and training brain-injured patients.

  • University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand)
    • PhD Candidate
      Aug 2008 - Apr 2012 · 3 yrs 9 mos

      PhD candidate at the HIT Lab NZ and Psychology Department of the University of Canterbury, developing virtual environments to assess and train cognitive functions.

    • Research Assistant
      Jan 2008 - Aug 2010 · 2 yrs 8 mos

      Development of data collection tools, data collection and interpretation for two neuropsychological experiments

    • Teaching Assistant (Coordinator) at
      Mar 2008 - Nov 2009 · 1 yr 9 mos

      Teaching/tutoring statistics, research methods, cognition and biological psychology for 2nd and 3rd year students