Schedule

Where to find me

Where I’ve been, and where I’ll be going…

Coming up

Tests for Consciousness, Duke University, NC, Apr 3-6
Natural Philosophy Symposium, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, May 29-31
Ernst Mach Workshop, Prague, Jun 02-04
This Is Optimism, Sussex, Jun 27
ASSC25, Heraklion, Jul 06-10
Aspen Ideas Festival, Aspen, Jul 26-30

Come and gone

  • 2025

    • Digital Life Design (DLD), Munich, Jan 16-18
    • Sussex AI Meetup, Brighton, Feb 05
    • Synapse Conclave, New Delhi, Feb 22-23

  • 2024

    • QualiaMX 2024, Mexico City, Nov 29
    • XPANSE2024, Abu Dhabi, Nov 20
    • The Effies, Leipzig, Nov 13
    • Perception Day, Utrecht, Nov 08
    • Techdenkers, Amsterdam, Nov 07
    • Charles Simonyi Annual Lecture, Oxford, Nov 01
    • COGX, London, Oct 07
    • In conversation with Peter Godfrey-Smith, Daunts, London, Sep 17
    • Science Lab, Arezzo, Sep 15
    • Festival Filosofia (keynote), Modena, Sep 14
    • Ars Electronica, Linz, Sep 07
    • Wonderstruck, Scotland, Aug 1-5
    • ASSC27, Tokyo, Jul 2-5
    • Consciousness in a broad sense, CIFAR/JST, Tokyo, Jul 1-2
    • Intensive Care Society, Liverpool, Jun 18 (remote)
    • Great Exhibition Road Festival, London, Jun 16 (remote)
    • World Science Festival, New York, NY, Jun 01
    • Great People Inside, Brasov, May 29
    • ALIS Neuroland, Istanbul, May 18
    • Mind & Matter, Helsinki, Apr 26-29
    • Brains, bytes, and being, TED (discovery session), Vancouver, Apr 16
    • Consciousness in humans and in other things, Cambridge Neuroscience, Cambridge, Apr 05
    • Consciousness in humans and in other things, Michael Faraday Prize Lecture, Royal Society, London, Mar 26
    • Consciousness in humans and in other things, UC Santa Barbara, CA, Mar 14
    • The path to conscious AI, SXSW, Austin, TX, Mar 09
    • In conversation about consciousness, Royal Society of Medicine, London, Feb 24
    • Darwin Day Lecture, Bristol Humanists, Bristol, Feb 13
    • Prospect and pitfalls for conscious AI, Conscious Meetup, Feb 06 (remote)
    • Hay Festival, Cartagena, Jan 27 (remote)
    • Psychedelics, philosophy, and consciousness, 5x15 with Andy Mitchell, Jan 17 (remote)
    • South Asia EO RIE, Kolkata, Jan 11

  • 2023

    • Annual ReNeW lecture, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Dec 07-08
    • The 2023 Holberg Debate (with Tanya Luhrmann, Rupert Sheldrake, & David Malone), Bergen, Dec 02
    • Mysteries of consciousness, Skeptics in the Pub (w/ Sue Blackmore), Brighton, Nov 14
    • Computation, life, and consciousness. CCC 2023, Institute of Physics, London, Nov 10
    • From computational functionalism to biological naturalism, Philosophy Discussion Group, NYU, Nov 6
    • Do you see what I see? From synaesthesia to dreamachines. T-lab seminar, Monash University, Oct 27
    • Consciousness. Cognitive Neuroscience Hub launch event, Melbourne University, Oct 26
    • Measuring and modelling conscious experiences, Maths in the Brain, Monash University, Oct 23, keynote
    • Being You – a new science of consciousness, Future Forums, Melbourne Museum, Oct 18
    • Do you see what I see? From synaesthesia to dreamachines. M3CS Seminar, Monash University, Oct 17
    • Consciousness in humans and in other things, NAOI Institute, Oct 13, remote
    • From beast machines to dreamachines, The 2023 Brotherton Lecture, University of Melbourne, Oct 12
    • Consciousness in beasts and in other things, Tufts University Cognitive Science, Sep 29 (remote)
    • Being a beast machine, Sofia University, Aug 18 (remote)
    • Consciousness in beasts and in other things, Aligning silicon and cellular minds, Tufts, Aug 18 (remote)
    • Life and consciousness, artificial and natural (conversation with Ted Chiang), Sapporo, July 28
    • From beast machines to Dreamachines, Artificial Life 2023 (keynote), Sapporo, July 25
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Tsutaya Bookstore, Tokyo, July 21
    • The real problem of consciousness, International Symposium on the Predictive Brain (keynote), Tokyo, July 19
    • Prediction in perception and emotion, Interdisciplinary Conference on Mental Health, Heidelberg, July 11
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Idler Festival, London, July 08
    • Gladiators of the Mind, Hyderabad, July 06
    • From beast machines to Dreamachines, Gottingen Neuroscience Series (remote), June 20
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Mindscapes (Romania book launch), Bucharest, June 02
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Bloom, Copenhagen, May 26-28
    • From beast machines to Dreamachines, Towards a Science of Consciousness (keynote), Taormina, May 23
    • Seeing things differently, Charleston Festival, Charleston, May 21
    • From beast machines to dreamachines, Medicine Unboxed, London, May 13
    • Light is the best medicine, Best Medicine live record, London, May 09
    • From beast machines to dreamachines, Segerfalk Lecture, Lund, May 4
    • The real problem of consciousness, New Scientist Instant Expert, London, April 29
    • La Creación Del Yo (launch of Spanish translation of Being You), Madrid, April 27
    • The Dreamachine and The Perception Census, British Neuroscience Association, Apr 23
    • The Dreamachine and The Perception Census, Human Sensory Experiences, University of Sussex, Apr 21
    • Consciousness - an interdisciplinary perspective, Oxford, Apr 12-13
    • From beast machines to Dreamachines, Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow, Glasgow, Apr 5
    • Being You (in conversation with Jules Montague), Edinburgh Science Festival, Edinburgh, Apr 4
    • From beast machines to Dreamachines, PPN Seminar, Glasgow, Apr 3
    • The nature of the self, Disembodied Selves, Lisbon, Mar 31
    • Perceptual diversity and the Dreamachine, WIRED Health, London, Mar 21
    • From beast machines to Dreamachines, MindBrainBody Symposium, Berlin, Mar 14
    • Computational neurophenomenology, Lorentz Centre, Leiden, Mar 07
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Aldeburgh Literature Festival, Aldeburgh, Mar 4
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Barnes Literature Festival, London, Feb 23
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Full Circle, Brussels, Feb 16
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Emirates Literature Festival, Dubai, Feb 4/5
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, Lewes Speaker Festival, Lewes, Jan 22
    • Research with iImpact, University of Sussex, Jan 18
    • From beast machines to dreamachines, Centre for Eudamonia & Human Flourishing, Oxford, Jan 17
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, King Alfred's School, Wantage, Jan 16
    • From beast machines to Dreamachines, Alpine Brain Imaging Conference, Champéry, Jan 10

  • 2022

    • Understanding Consciousness, Guardian masterclass, Dec 5
    • Being You - a New Science of Consciousness, Folkestone Literature Festival, Folkestone, Nov 20
    • Royal Institute of Philosophy Annual Debate, London, Nov 16
    • Body, Mind, and Consciousness, Science and Wisdom Live, Oct 29 (online)
    • How to build a Dreamachine, Brighton Skeptics, Brighton, Oct 26
    • Consciousness (w/ Joe LeDoux), Pioneer Works, Brooklyn NY, Oct 18
    • The Mysteries of Consciousness (w/ Antonio Damasio), CCCB Biennale, Barcelona, Oct 14
    • Beast Machines and Dreamachines, Royal College of Art, London, Oct 12
    • Beast Machines and Dreamachines, Unfinished, Bucharest, Sep 29 - Oct 04
    • Being You - a New Science of Consciousness (w/ Adam Rutherford), Daunts Books, London, Sep 26
    • Being You - a New Science of Consciousness (w/ James Ladyman), Gloucester Road Books, Bristol, Sep 21
    • Building the Dreamachine, Silbersalz Inspiration Session (online), Sep 20
    • From beast machines to dreamachines, ICDL2022, London, Sep 13
    • Being You - a new science of consciousness, dConstruct, Brighton, Sep 09
    • Building the Dreamachine, Science Museum Lates, Aug 31
    • Being You - A new science of consciousness, Northern Ireland Science Festival, Belfast, Aug 12
    • Being You - A New science of consciousness, ALSO Festival, Jul 09
    • Being You (in conversation with Jim Al-Khalili), Wealden Literature Festival, Jun 26
    • Dreamachine and the science of perception, CogX 2022, London Jun 15 (hybrid)
    • Perception and the self from the inside-out, Omnichannel X, Jun 14 (remote)
    • Being You - A New Science of Consciousness, Cheltenham Science Festival, Jun 09
    • Understanding Consciousness, Guardian Masterclass, Jun 06 (remote)
    • The Mystery of Consciousness, panel discussion, May 20, Liverpool
    • Consciousness, perception, and time, BIAL Foundation Symposium, Apr 06, Porto (remote)
    • Being You, Philosophy in the Bookshop with Nigel Warburton, Blackwells, Oxford, Feb 05
    • Designing the Future (panel discussion). Creative Coalition Festival, Feb 01 (remote)
    • How to write a popular book on science, CIFAR Winter School on the Neuroscience of Consciousness, Jan 19 (remote)
    • Humberto Maturana and his scientific legacy, Congreso Futuro, Chile, Jan 17 (remote)
    • Being You, India Science Festival, Jan 09 (remote)

  • 2021

    • Michael Graziano and Anil Seth Dialog, Dec 16 (online)
    • Brian Cox & Robin Ince's Christmas Compendium of Reason, Royal Albert Hall, London, Dec 14
    • Nine lessons and carols for curious people, King’s Place, London, Dec 11
    • Mark Solms and Anil Seth Dialog, Dec 10 (online)
    • Being You - A New Science of Consciousness, Mind Science Foundation, Nov 30 (remote)
    • The brain, consciousness, and representation, MAIN2021 panel discussion, Nov 30 (remote)
    • A New Science of Consciousness, INSEAD, Nov 25 (remote)
    • A New Science of Consciousness, Science Museum Lates, London, Nov 24
    • Perception, self, and hallucination, President's Summit (keynote), Copenhagen, Nov 09
    • A New Science of Consciousness, Norwich Science Festival, Norwich, Oct 30
    • Being You - A New Science of Consciousness, InterIntellect, Oct 27 (remote)
    • Being You - A New Science of Consciousness, Wells Festival of Literature, Wells, Oct 22
    • Being You - A New Science of Consciousness, London Literature Festival, London, Oct 21
    • How your brain invents your 'self', TED, Oct 19 (remote)
    • Being You - A New Science of Consciousness, Susan Schneider book talk, Oct 18 (remote)
    • Being You - A New Science of Consciousness, World AI Summit, Amsterdam, Oct 14
    • Lost in the Matrix, How The Light Gets In, London, Sep 18
    • Understanding Consciousness, How The Light Gets In, London, Sep 18
    • Being You: In conversation with Adam Rutherford, 5x15 (remote), Sep 15
    • Predictive processing and phenomenological control – how suggestion changes experience, Royal Society of Medicine, London, Sep 13
    • A New Science of Consciousness, New Scientist Big Thinkers Series, Sep 09 (remote)
    • Being You: A New Science of Consciousness, launch event, The Royal Institution, Sep 02
    • Being a beast machine: selfhood and interoceptive inference, RIKEN cognitive and brain science summer school, Jun 30 (remote)
    • Psychedelics and controlled hallucinations, Maudsley Psychedelic Society, Jun 23 (remote)
    • Can AI be conscious? A conversation with Blake Richards, CIFAR virtual talks, Jun 8 (remote)
    • From real problems to beast machines, Cleeremans lab, May 21 (remote)
    • Computational hallucinations, Visions workshop, May 12 (remote)
    • The Science of No Self, The Psychedelic Society, Apr 21 (remote)
    • TED Membership official launch, Apr 20 (remote)
    • How (not) to build a conscious machine, Puerto de Ideas, Antofagasta, Chile, Apr 15 (remote)
    • From real problems to beast machines, British Neuroscience Association (opening keynote), Apr 12 (remote)
    • How (not) to build a conscious machine, Cambridge Science Society, Mar 30 (remote)
    • From real problems to beast machines, Georgia Tech (Rahnev lab), Mar 29 (remote)
    • Being a beast machine: consciousness and self, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Mar 21 (remote)
    • Consciousness: from real problems to beast machines, COGS Open Lecture, Mar 17 (remote)
    • Explaining consciousness, Cheney School, Oxford, Feb 26 (remote)
    • AI, neuroscience, and architecture: talk and panel discussion, Florida Atlantic University, Feb 14 (remote)
    • The neuroscience of consciousness and the role of psychedelics, Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society, Feb 10 (remote)
    • Being a beast machine: consciousness and self, Neureka, King’s College London, Feb 4 (remote)

  • 2020

    • Consciousness (w/ Lucia Melloni & Chris Timmerman), Noches Nerd Chile (remote, Spanish)
    • Consciousness (in conversation with Nigel Warburton), Real Talk Chiang Mai (remote)
    • The strength of weak artificial consciousness, CIFAR joint Program meeting (remote)
    • The strength of weak artificial consciousness, Montreal AI and Neuroscience (MAIN2020) (remote)
    • Consciousness and flow (with Steven Kotler), TransTech2020 (remote)
    • The real problem of consciousness, Unexplored: Neuroscience (remote)
    • Communicating consciousness, UCL Division of Psychiatry (remote)
    • Consciousness and AI, CIFAR BMC Program Meeting (remote)
    • Detecting consciousness in organoids, National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (remote)
    • Architecture, AI, and neuroscience, DigitalFutures 2020 panel discussion (remote)
    • Extended reality in cognitive neuroscience: opportunities and challenges, CIFAR workshop (remote)
    • The neuroscience of consciousness, Think Inc (remote, Australia)
    • The neuroscience of consciousness, Forum for Indian Neurology Education (remote)
    • Virtual psychedelics conference, panel discussion (remote)
    • Every thought that ever was (in conversation with Lindsay Seers), Southampton
    • The neuroscience of consciousness, London Weekend University, London

  • 2019

    • Measuring consciousness, LUMINOUS, Oxford
    • Conscious perception and controlled hallucination, How To Academy, London
    • What in the world is consciousness? COGS Open Lecture, Brighton
    • Detecting consciousness in practice and in principle, Disorders of Consciousness, London
    • Consciousness and controlled hallucination, Mindful Leader Summit, Washington DC
    • Conscious perception and controlled hallucination, BrainMind Summit, Palo Alto, CA
    • Conscious perception and controlled hallucination, HELLUCOT, Santa Cruz, CA
    • Are there islands of awareness? British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience, Cambridge
    • Escape to reality, Culture Night, Cork
    • The TED interview (recorded live), with Chris Anderson, TED Summit, Edinburgh
    • What in the world is consciousness? Opening address, King Alfred’s VI Form, Wantage
    • Consciousness and the quantum, Sussex Quantum Day, Brighton
    • Perception and reality, Mind and Life Summer Research Institute, New York
    • The reality of reality, World Science Festival, New York
    • Revealing the mind: The promise of psychedelics, World Science Festival, New York
    • Post-show discussion of ‘Little Ethiopia’, Sundance / Simons Foundation, New York
    • Neurophenomenology of real and simulated psychedelia, BSMS, Brighton
    • The Great AI Debate, ASSC23, London Ontario
    • Learning action-oriented models via active inference, ASSC23, London Ontario
    • Consciousness, intelligence, and life, Kinds of Intelligence 2, Cambridge
    • Virtual reality and neuroscience, CIFAR workshop, New York (remote)
    • Moderated Q&A on consciousness science, British Neuroscience Association, Dublin
    • Cognitive musicology and synaesthesia, British Neuroscience Association, Dublin
    • Perception, consciousness, and film, CPH:DOX science forum, Copenhagen
    • Discussion with Prof Humberto Maturana, Nobel Foundation debate, Santiago de Chile
    • Discussion with Prof Tiziana Terranova, Nobel Foundation debate, Santiago de Chile
    • Consciousness and self, Congreso Futuro, Concépcion, Chile
    • Consciousness and self, Congreso Futuro (keynote), Santiago de Chile
    • Inaugural speech on behalf of all presenters, Congreso Futuro, Santiago de Chile

  • 2018

    • AI and Storytelling (panel discussion), Future of Storytelling, Montreal
    • Neurophenomenology of real and simulated psychedelia, MAPSIG group, Brighton
    • Consciousness and Self, Unlikely Collaborators, Ojai, CA
    • Neurophenomenology of synaesthesia, ‘Bridging the Senses’, Royal Society, London
    • Every Thought that Ever Was (conversation with Lindsay Seers), Focal Point Gallery, London
    • Perception and hallucination, Science and Cocktails, Copenhagen
    • Predictive processing and phenomenology, Monash Consciousness Workshop, Aegina, Greece
    • Perception and hallucination, Brighton Humanities Society, Brighton
    • The neuroscience of consciousness, Apple Research, Cupertino CA
    • From consciousness science to psychiatry, Low Countries Mental Health, Charleston, SC
    • Exploring the frontiers of consciousness and self, Low Countries Mental Health, Charleston, SC
    • Consciousness, neuroscience, AI, and life, CogX (main stage), London
    • A question of time, London Craft Week, London
    • The annual R.V. Jones Science Lecture, Alleyn’s School, London
    • Perceptual uniformity and low-level sensory adaptation, ASSC22 oral presentation, Krakow
    • Neurophenomenology of real and simulated psychedelia, CIFAR program meeting, Krakow
    • Consciousness and Creation, Future of Storytelling Summit, New York, NY
    • Neurophenomenology of real and simulated psychedelia, KNAW, Amsterdam
    • The neuroscience of consciousness, London Weekend University, London
    • Introduction to consciousness, Oxford Brain Day, Oxford
    • Neurophenomenology of real and simulated psychedelia, Neurizons, Goettingen
    • The neuroscience of consciousness, New Scientist Instant Expert, London
    • Predictive processing and perceptual phenomenology, Allahabad University, India
    • Neurophenomenology of real and simulated psychedelia, Towards a Science of Consciousness, Tucson, AZ
    • Predictive processing and perceptual phenomenology, CRASSH workshop, Cambridge
    • Consciousness, Seattle Study Club 25th Anniversary Symposium, Palm Springs, CA

  • 2017

    • The real problem of consciousness, CIFAR Winter School, Montebello
    • University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium, Kingston, RI
    • Being a beast machine, XSPECT project workshop, Edinburgh
    • The real problem of consciousness, Ciudad de las Ideas, Puebla
    • The real problem of consciousness, Alergic seminar series, Brighton
    • The real problem of consciousness, Elsass Foundation midsummer lecture, Copenhagen
    • The real problem of consciousness, BCBT Summer School, Barcelona
    • Consciousness: like temperature or like life? The Human Mind Project Meeting, Cambridge
    • The real problem of consciousness, British Science Festival Presidential Lecture (Psychology), Brighton
    • Being a beast machine, ASSC21 plenary symposium, Beijing
    • Being a beast machine, University of Oxford, Oxford
    • What in the world is consciousness? St Peters School, York
    • Are we living in a simulation? The Infinite Monkey Cage, BBC Radio 4, London
    • Consciousness and the predictive brain, Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften, Berlin
    • Neurophenomenological investigations of synaesthesia, Sussex Neuroscience, Brighton
    • What in the world is consciousness? Wired Live, keynote lecture, London
    • The real problem of consciousness, Human Brain Project project meeting, Paris
    • Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality, TED (main stage), Vancouver
    • Brainwaves: Guardian Live panel discussion on AI, London
    • Neurophenomenological investigations of synaesthesia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
    • From Helmholtz to the beholder’s share, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
    • Brain, mind, and consciousness, Victoria & Albert / Sussex launch event, Brighton
    • Are we more like animals than we know? Wellcome Collection / BBC live recording, London
    • The neurobiology of consciousness, Reform Club, London
    • The neurobiology of consciousness, Open University Psychology Meeting, London

  • 2016

    • Wonder/self, (with Paul Fletcher) Medicine Unboxed, Cheltenham
    • Inside the mind of an octopus, 5x15 Aliens event, London
    • Being a beast machine, TEDx, Southampton
    • The biology of consciousness, King’s School Science Festival, Taunton
    • The new neuroscience of consciousness, Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane
    • Expect yourself, QIMR Berghofer Symposium on Neuroengineering, Brisbane
    • Consciousness: the underlying neuroscience, Royal Institution Friday Discourse, London
    • In touch with reality, Wellcome Collection, London
    • The new neuroscience of consciousness, Brain & Mind Institute distinguished lecture, Berlin
    • Expect yourself (with Charlie Morrissey), Wellcome Collection, London
    • From Helmholtz to the Beholder’s Share, Reconsidering Humanity II, Paris
    • The biology of consciousness, New Scientist Live, London
    • What in the world is consciousness? Times Cheltenham Science Festival, Cheltenham
    • On memory and mind: in conversation with Nick Payne, THMP workshop, Brighton
    • From King’s to consciousness. After dinner talk, King’s College alumni event, Cambridge
    • Expect yourself: predictive processing and consciousness, MPI summer school, Leipzig
    • The cybernetic Bayesian and the embodied self, ENCECON meeting, Bordeaux, France
    • What in the world is consciousness? Lecture to VI Form, King Alfred’s Academy, Wantage
    • Eye Benders: the science of seeing and believing.  King Alfred’s Academy, Wantage
    • From phenomenology to mechanism in consciousness science, CIFAR program meeting, London
    • What in the world is consciousness? New Scientist Instant Expert, London
    • What in the world is consciousness? Exponential View dinner talk, London
    • The science of selfhood, pre-show discussion for Elegy, Donmar Warehouse, London
    • Post-show discussion with Simon McBurney, The Encounter (Complicite), Brighton Festival
    • Expect yourself: predictive processing and consciousness, Towards a Science of Consciousness, Tucson, AZ
    • What in the world is consciousness? Inaugural Professorial lecture, Brighton
    • Towards a neuroscience of consciousness, MPI Human Cognitive & Brain Science, Leipzig
    • Seeing the expected, Bekinschtein lab talk, Cambridge
    • The soul and the psyche in neuropsychiatry, plenary closing debate at BNPA, London
    • Tracing the edges of consciousness, opening address at the Wellcome Collection, London

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