William Kearns

About William Kearns

I build AI products that help people change how they feel, think, and act. I\'ve spent over a decade at the intersection of product, engineering, and behavioral science, and the last eight years leading teams that turn research into products at scale.As Head of Engineering at Purpose, I own the AI engine and other architecture powering personalized coaching used by users, built on evidenced-based behavioral frameworks. Before that, I created Headspace\'s Ebb, a Webby Award-winning AI companion that served millions.I\'ve founded four companies, hold two patents in conversational AI, and have a PhD in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Washington. My research focused on training language models for empathetic therapy delivery through augmented reasoning, resulting in 12+ peer-reviewed publications.I\'m a builder who thinks in products and leads through technical depth. I build happy teams that do mission-driven work. I operate across product strategy, system architecture, and team development because shipping great AI products requires all three moving together.If you\'re building at the intersection of AI and human behavior let\'s talk.

Experience

1. Head of Engineering

   Purpose

   Jun 2025 — Present

Education

• University of Washington

  Computational Linguistics

• University of Central Florida

  Bachelor's Degree, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

• University of Washington - School of Medicine

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biomedical and Health Informatics

• University of Central Florida

  Bachelor's Degree, History

Skills

• Python
• C
• Gnu/Linux
• Biomedical Informatics
• Machine Learning
• Programming
• Social Network Analysis
• Mathematical Modeling
• Sql
• Mongodb
• Cloud Computing
• Hiv Prevention
• Natural Language Processing
• Java
• Android Development
• Data Analysis
• Nodejs
• Pytorch
• Conversational UI
• Chatbots
• Proposal Writing
• Erlang
• Web Development