The New Science of Consciousness

Historically, the exploration of consciousness was predominantly viewed through spiritual or philosophical lenses, but new scientific research is beginning to draw out compelling biological theories and explanations for consciousness and selfhood.

In this forum, presented by Museums Victoria and the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, hear from acclaimed international speaker and neuroscientist Anil Seth on the biological basis of conscious experience and what it means for the future of humanity.

Anil Seth has gained a reputation as both a leading expert on the neuroscience of consciousness and one of most prominent spokespeople for this relatively new field of science. In this forum, he will discuss the key findings of his international bestseller Being You: A New Science of Consciousness and what it means to have a conscious experience of the world around you.

Following Anil Seth’s keynote presentation, he will join forces with Cognitive Neuroscience Professor Olivia Carter (University of Melbourne), and multi-award-winning ABC journalist and presenter Natasha Mitchell to discuss the future of neuroscience and why it is emerging as one of the most exciting contributions to twenty-first-century science.

Speakers

Anil Seth

Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, University of Sussex 

Anil Seth is a Professor at the University of Sussex. His research seeks to understand the biological basis of consciousness by bringing together research across neuroscience, mathematics, computer science, psychology, philosophy and psychiatry. His book Being You: A New Science of Consciousness was published in 2021.

Olivia Carter

Professor in Psychology, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne 

Olivia Carter’s research investigates the factors that determine the contents and nature of human subjective experiences as well as the biological processes underpinning them. Her work combines cross-disciplinary approaches to explore both "typical" and "altered" states of consciousness such as psychedelics, meditation, technology and psychiatric/neurological conditions.

Moderator

Natasha Mitchell

Science Journalist and Presenter, Big Ideas, ABC Radio National (RN)

Natasha Mitchell is a multi-award-winning journalist, radio presenter, podcaster, and audio storyteller specialising in science & society. She is host of the ABC Radio National's flagship Big Ideas program and podcast, was founding host and producer of the internationally renowned radio show and one of the ABC’s first podcasts, All in the Mind, which won the Grand Prize and four Gold World Medals at the New York Radio Festivals, amongst other awards. Natasha hosted the ABC's daily social affairs program Life Matters, and was founding host and producer of Science Friction, awarded Best Science and Medicine podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards. Natasha served as a board member and vice president of the World Federation of Science Journalists and was recipient of the prestigious MIT Knight Fellowship. She has facilitated many public forums around Australia, including four science dialogues with the Dalai Lama and guests. She has an engineering degree with first class honours, and a postgraduate diploma in science communication.

Co-presented by Museums Victoria and the University of Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences