Mark Sagar

Dr Mark Sagar is a New Zealand engineer, researcher and co-founder of Soul Machines, recognised for his early work in digital humans, computer-generated faces and biologically inspired artificial intelligence.

Sagar’s background is an unusual blend of engineering, neuroscience, visual effects and AI. He completed a PhD in engineering at the University of Auckland and later held a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT. His career also spanned major film work, where he developed digital character and facial technology at Weta Digital and Sony Pictures Imageworks for productions including Avatar, King Kong and Spider-Man 2.

That work earned him two Academy Awards for scientific and engineering achievement, placing him among the most internationally recognised New Zealanders working at the intersection of technology and creativity.

In 2016, Sagar co-founded Soul Machines with technology entrepreneur Greg Cross, serving as chief executive and driving the company’s deep-tech research. Soul Machines explores how machines might interact with people in more natural, expressive and human-like ways, building a “digital brain” grounded in neuroscience and developmental psychology.

One of Sagar’s most celebrated projects was BabyX, a virtual infant built using computational models of the brain and nervous system. The project drew international attention for its attempt to create emotionally responsive, lifelike digital life.

Sagar belongs on Noteworthy because his work is more than conventional entrepreneurship. It is a rare fusion of science, art, engineering and business: a demonstration of how New Zealand research can shape global conversations about AI, identity and the future of human-computer interaction.

Sources: Soul Machines · The Spinoff · Voicebot