Lord Martin Rees is Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge. He holds the honorary title of Astronomer Royal. Lord Rees is co-founder of the Centre for the Study of the Existential Risk, an early stage initiative which brings together a scientist, philosopher and software entrepreneur.
Philip Goff is Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Durham University. His research focuses on how to integrate consciousness into our scientific worldview. His first academic book, ‘Consciousness and Fundamental Reality’ (Oxford University Press), was published in 2017 and his first book aimed at a general audience, ‘Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness’ (Rider in UK, Pantheon in US), was published in2019.
“I argue that the traditional approaches of materialism (consciousness can be explained in terms of physical processes in the brain) and dualism (consciousness is separate from the body and brain) face insuperable difficulties. On the basis of this I defend a form of panpsychism, the view that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of the physical world. It sounds a bit crazy, but I try to show that it avoids the difficulties faced by its rivals.”
Guillaume Thierry is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Bangor University.
“I am passionate about the human mind and how it makes sense of the world around us. My research is devoted to understanding how we form concepts, consciously or unconsciously, how we manipulate them, through language or nonverbally, how we learn, remember, forget, and imagine. In my applied work, I strive to inspire individuals to attain higher state of awareness of the world and of themselves. I share real stories and construct fictional ones to entice the imagination of others and invite everyone along on the path to higher levels of insight, understanding, and joy.”
Artist and author, Tony Robbin, works with painting, sculpture and computer visualizations. He is a pioneer in the computer visualization of four-dimensional geometry. With his paintings and innovative computer visualizations of hyperspace, he continues to investigate different models of the fourth dimension and how these are applied in art and physics.
Robin Dunbar is Professor of Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Experimental Psycology, University of Oxford. His research is concerned with trying to understand the behavioural, cognitive and neuroendocrinological mechanisms that underpin social bonding in primates (in general) and humans (in particular).
Chris Zebrowski is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Loughborough University. His research analyses the concept of resilience in the context of the changing rationalities and practices of risk management and security.
Per Olsson is a Researcher, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University. He is a transdisciplinary researcher and has worked in the interface of natural and social sciences and humanities. His current research focuses on agency and system entrepreneurship, social-ecological innovations, transformations to sustainability, and how to reverse current trends of crossing critical thresholds and tipping points in the Earth system.
Marcello Trovati is a Reader in the Department of Computer Science at Edge Hill University. His research interests include mathematical modelling, the science of Big Data, including data and text mining, and their applications to multi-disciplinary topics.
Benjamin Bowman is a youth studies specialist with broad academic background in politics, the politics of youth, and especially young people’s activism. Benjamin works with the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies, and is Lecturer in Youth Justice at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Max Saunders is Professor of English and Co-Director of the Centre for Life-Writing Research at King’s College London, where he teaches modern literature. From September 2019 he will be Interdisciplinary Professor of Modern Literature and Culture at the University of Birmingham.
He was awarded a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship from 2008-10 to research the To-Day and To-Morrow book series. His resulting book on the series and futurology, ‘Imagined Futures’, is published by Oxford University Press (2019).
Andre Spicer is Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Cass Business School, City, University of London. His main expertise is in the area of organizational behaviour. In particular he has done work on organizational power and politics, identity, the creation of new organizational forms, space and architecture plays at work and more recently leadership.
Jake M. Robinson is a PhD Researcher, Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield. A professional ecologist and planetary health researcher with experience in both terrestrial and marine environments, his current research interests centres around three topics:
1. The environment-microbiome-health axis: investigating the relationship between microbes, the health of humans (noncommunicable and infectious diseases) and the wider environment
2. Remote sensing: using innovative technology to acquire and analyse remote data, particularly for biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration
3. Investigating nature-based solutions within planetary, one and eco-health frameworks