Mind
scapes
A conference brings together leading researchers, philosophers, and AI experts to present and discuss the news on the Science of Consciousness.
Presentations on the neural correlates of consciousness, new versus old theories in the field, various relationships between consciousness and other processes inside and outside the living bodies, and other related subjects are designed to update and refresh the knowledge in the fields of neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, and related fields, providing a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge advancements and debates.
It would also nourish networking with peers, and collaborations on new research projects.
The impact of such a conference at the societal level could only be imagined, as tackling and trying to understand consciousness significantly alter our general ideas about human existence, ethics, artificial intelligence, and reality.
Last but not least, this conference on Consciousness could become an international hub of expertise, by bringing together experts from different fields, contributing to individual and collective mind growth.
Speakers
Prof. Anil Seth
Anil Seth is a a Professor at the University of Sussex, in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience.
He is also a Co-Director of the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science and editor-in-chief of Neuroscience of Consciousness, member of the steering group and advisory board of the Human Mind Project.
One of the most prolific scientific researchers in Consciousness with over 100 scientific papers and book chapters.
Author of the famous book, Being You: A New Science of Consciousness published by Faber & Faber in 2021, recently translated in the Romanian.
Prof. Georg Northoff
Professor Georg Northoff is a distinguished scholar and academician affiliated with the Institute of Mental Health Research at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Mind, Brain Imaging, and Neuroethics ELJB-CIHR, and serves as the Michael Smith Chair in Neurosciences, as well as the Director of the Mental Health Research Unit.
Dr. Northoff boasts a rare distinction of possessing degrees in three diverse disciplines: philosophy, neuroscience, and psychiatry. He is renowned for his ground-breaking research on the intricate relationship between the brain and mind across multiple dimensions.
He is also an accomplished author with several published books to his credit. His latest book, "Neurowaves: Brain, Time, and Consciousness," is expected to be soon translated into the Romanian language.
Prof. Steve Grossberg
Stephen Grossberg is a renowned cognitive scientist and mathematician. He holds the Wang Professorship in Cognitive and Neural Systems at Boston University, where he also serves as the Director of the Center for Adaptive Systems.
Dr. Grossberg is a pioneer in computational neuroscience, theoretical cognitive science, and biologically-inspired engineering, technology, and AI.
He has authored several books, including his recent Magnum Opus, Conscious Mind, Resonant Brain: How Each Brain Makes a Mind, and is a highly sought-after speaker.
We highly recommend watching his talk titled "Towards Solving the Hard Problem of Consciousness: The Varieties of Brain Resonances and the Conscious Experiences that they Support" before attending Mindscapes.
Web: https://sites.bu.edu/steveg/
Prof. Claudio Babiloni
Prof. Claudio Babiloni is from Sapienza University. He is in Physiology Department , with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences
He is currently the Head of the Laboratory of Neurosciences of Human Higher Functions.
He was Co-chair of the Special Interest Group in “Advanced EEG/MEG Techniques in Clinical Research” (2021-2022) of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN), and the Member of the Advisory Board (2022-2024) of The Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment (ISTAART).
Prof. Danko Nikolic
Prof Danko Nikolic holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma, USA, and has a background in civil engineering. He previously worked at the Department of Neurophysiology at the Max-Planck-Institut für Hirnforschung and currently serves as a Research Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies.
He has a keen interest in A.I. and Machine Learning and currently holds the position of Head of AI and Data Science at Evocenta GMBH.
Additionally, he is the founder of Robots Go Mental.
Two of his most interesting lectures AI-kindergarten: Building biological-like artificial intelligence and Ideasthesia: How do ideas feel?.
Prof. Dragoș Cîrneci
Specialised in cognitive and behavioural neurosciences, he published the first Romanian handbook of developmental cognitive neuroscience.
One of the few researchers in Neuroscience from Romania and also in other topics related to the brain’s mechanisms involved in addiction, the neural correlates of processing ambiguity, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) studying the connection between sensitivity to social rejection and the immune response.
He recently published and article connection between learning and the mechanisms involved in DNA repair and proposed a specific learning task that can be used as an alternative for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
He also had participated in designing AI projects.
Steven Gouveia Ph. D.
Steven S. Gouveia is a Ph.D. Research Fellow at the Mind, Language, and Action Group at the University of Porto, where he is leading a 6-year project on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.
Furthermore, he works on the intersection between Philosophy and Neuroscience, and has published the book "Philosophy & Neuroscience: A Methodological Analysis" (2022) with Springer Nature.
He has given several international talks in Brazil, South Korea, Switzerland, Cyprus, and other countries. He is also the host of the international documentary "The Age of Artificial Intelligence: The Documentary" (cf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMrt6ALaio0).
For more information, please visit his website: https://stevensgouveia.weebly.com/.
Host
Robert Chis Ciure Ph.D.
Robert holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy. However, his research, funded previously by a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Sleep and Consciousness, focused on a cluster of consciousness-related problems from an interdisciplinary perspective. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Tatiana Foundation’s International Center for Neuroscience and Ethics, where he works on a theoretical and experimental paradigm to empirically discriminate between theories of consciousness. Starting in February 2024, he will be Fulbright Visiting Scholar at New York University’s Center for Brain, Mind, and Consciousness. His expertise in philosophy and neuroscience makes Robert an excellent choice to host the Mindscapes Conference.
Larissa Albantakis
Ph. D.
Larissa Albantakis is an Assistant Professor at the UW-Madison Department of Psychiatry. She obtained her Diploma in Physics from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich in 2007, and her PhD in Computational Neuroscience from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona in 2011 under the supervision of Gustavo Deco. She has been at the University of Wisconsin since 2012, working together with Giulio Tononi on Integrated Information Theory, and aims to develop a principled account of causation and causal autonomy. Her blog “Conscious(ness) Realist” provides publication reviews and commentaries on topics related to consciousness science and its theories.
She is interested in Consciousness, Causation and Causal Analysis, Information, Complex System Science, (Artificial) Neural Networks, Computational Neuroscience, Cognition, Decision-making, Free Will, Artificial Life/Intelligence.
Prof. Idoia Ana Salazar
Founder and president of the Observatory on the Social and Ethical Impact of Artificial Intelligence (OdiseIA). Expert of the Artificial Intelligence Observatory at the European Parliament. She is currently working on the configuration of the Artificial Intelligence Regulation Sandbox with the Spanish Government, as well as in the Official Certification on AI in Spain.
She is a PhD professor at the CEU San Pablo University, specialising in Ethics and regulation in Artificial Intelligence. Author of 4 books on the social impact of AI and other new technologies. The latest: 'The Algorithm and Me: A guide to coexistence between humans and artificials' and 'The Myth of the Algorithm: Tales and Tales of Artificial Intelligence' (both in spanish). She is an advisor for Spain on the Advisory Board of the International Group on Artificial Intelligence (IGOAI), a founding member of the Springer journal 'AI and Ethics' and a member of the Global AI Ethics Consortium (GAIEC).
Volha Litvinets
Ph. D.
Volha Litvinets is a digital ethicist, responsible AI researcher, and consultant.
She defended her Ph.D. thesis in 2022 at Sorbonne University, Paris. Her research was focused on artificial intelligence ethics in digital marketing. She also previously was a research fellow for Carnegie Council's Artificial Intelligence and Equality Initiative.
Litvinets has deep experience working in the IT industry, with a solid understanding of digital marketing. She also has experience in the public sector, having worked on analyzing lethal autonomous weapons conventions as an intern at the Office for Disarmament of the United Nations. Litvinets work for Ernsts&Young, as a consultant in risks.
Schedule
9:00
Acces to the Venue
9:30
Opening of the conference
9:30-13:20
Conference
13:20-14:10
Lunch Break
14:10-17:30
Conference
17:30
Closing Remarks
Partners
The
Venue
The Romanian Athenaeum is a historic concert hall located in Bucharest, Romania. Built in the late 19th century, it is renowned for its neoclassical architecture and excellent acoustics. The Athenaeum is considered one of the city's cultural landmarks and hosts numerous classical music concerts and events throughout the year.
