He is also CTO of Xuuk Inc., a startup that develops attention sensors for interactive, real-world viewing statistics gathering. Vertegaal's first degree is in electronic music from Utrecht conservatory in the Netherlands. He earned a master’s in computing in Britain, studied design in the Hague and holds a doctorate in HCI from Twente University. He is one of the world's experts on eye communication between humans and between humans and technology. He received the premier of Ontario's research excellence award for his work on attentive user interfaces, which was featured in media across the globe, from Good Morning America to Scientific American. Recently, Vertegaal pioneered PaperPhone, an interactive paper computer that garnered international media attention.