The Core Team at Gothic Grandma.
We are researchers, engineers, and builders creating simulation as a new cultural and scientific medium.
Nathan Baune, PhD
Co-Founder
Chief Executive Officer
Benny Chen, PhD
Co-Founder
Chief Research Officer
Yasmine Bassil
Co-Founder
Chief Operating Officer
Inventor of the MUSE platform, leading simulation architecture, systems design, and long-term technical vision.
Nathan is a software engineer and computational systems neuroscientist who works from GPU kernels and databases up to making sure a button's shade of green is just right. He holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Science (Washington University, 2020) and has over fifteen years of experience building research-grade and production software systems focused on the human brain and behavior — spanning neurophysiologic signal processing, human-computer interaction, neuroimaging pipelines, and virtual reality. His open-source tools for MRI processing and real-time brain signal classification are used in active neuroimaging research. His research and engineering work at WashU and Emory University, supported by the American Heart Association and American Parkinson Disease Association, centered on measuring and modeling perception, action, and learning in real-world contexts. Previously co-founded health-tech startup Proprio with Benny, securing federal funding (NIDILRR) to develop wearable sensor monitoring systems for post-stroke rehabilitation. At Gothic Grandma, Nathan translates his scientific expertise into accessible, large-scale simulation and storytelling systems grounded in real science.
Leads simulation validation, system optimization, and data-driven refinement of world behavior.
Benny is a full-stack data scientist with a PhD in Rehabilitation Science (Washington University, 2019) and 15+ years of experience spanning research and production environments. A prior ML researcher at Shirley Ryan (Chicago, IL), Benny is currently a Senior Data Scientist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, supporting 13+ clinical research projects with scalable digital health solutions. Expert in statistical analysis, machine learning deployment, data pipeline development, and wrangling complex data from diverse sources. His experience deploying systems for real-world patient populations — wheelchair users, stroke survivors, individuals with sleep disorders — ensures MUSE is built for authentic human diversity. Previously co-founded health-tech startup Proprio with Nathan, securing federal funding (NIDILRR) to develop wearable sensor monitoring systems for post-stroke rehabilitation. At Gothic Grandma, Benny takes system designs from concept to validated implementation: building, testing, deploying, and scaling solutions while verifying that psychological models create authentic and compelling character behaviors. This validation process ensures simulated entities behave as real people do across diverse contexts and populations.
Leads operational strategy, community partnerships, and expansion into education and healthcare.
Yasmine is a neuroscientist bridging research insight with operational leadership and inclusive design. PhD Candidate (Emory University, expected Spring 2026) and NSF Graduate Research Fellow investigating cognitive changes across the lifespan. Yasmine has contributed to foundational work in multi-modal neuroimaging, is an award-winning teacher and mentor, and a nationally recognized leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her extensive community engagement experience — including research with Atlanta's older adult community, leadership in the international Arabs in Neuroscience organization, creation of Atlanta's first Brainhack in 2019, founding Georgia Tech's International Student Task Force, and collaborations with multicultural student organizations across institutions — ensures Gothic Grandma's cultural authenticity comes from genuine partnership, not assumption, representing the full spectrum of human experience.
All three founders are as obsessed with karaoke as they are with brains.