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Brain, Mind & Consciousness

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What are the origins and mechanisms of consciousness?

The quality of our consciousness is what sets us apart from other species and seems to be one of the defining traits of being human. Yet the nature of consciousness remains a mystery. The Brain, Mind & Consciousness program brings together neuroscientists, philosophers, and psychologists to grapple with the fundamental underpinnings of consciousness, relating the findings to biology on the one hand and to philosophical questions on the other.


IMPACT CLUSTERS

The Brain, Mind & Consciousness program is part of the following CIFAR Impact Clusters: Decoding Complex Brains and Data and Shaping the Future of Human Health. CIFAR’s research programs are organized into 5 distinct Impact Clusters that address significant global issues and are committed to fostering an environment in which breakthroughs emerge.


RESEARCH AND SOCIETAL IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS

Findings on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on cognition
CIFAR Advisor David Menon (University of Cambridge) and program Co-Director and Koerner Fellow Adrian Owen (Western University) co-authored a large-scale study that discovered a relationship between “long COVID,” “brain fog” and cognitive deficit. The study showed that these are present for patients who experienced varying severity of COVID-19 symptoms, as well as the relationship of long COVID to physical symptoms and mental health.

Consciousness theories studies (ConTraSt) database
Tanenbaum Fellow Liad Mudrik (Tel Aviv University) and collaborators launched a database that enables a birds' eye view of the field of consciousness — across definitions, methodologies, populations and findings — as well as looking for possible biases with respect to testing particular theories. This database synthesizes reams of data to allow future researchers to expedite studies and analyze trends in the field of consciousness.

Path to Societal Impact

We invite experts in industry, civil society, healthcare and government to join fellows in our Brain, Mind & Consciousness program for in-depth, cross-sectoral conversations that drive change and innovation.

Leaders in extended reality (XR, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality) and CIFAR fellows in the Brain, Mind & Consciousness program are developing more immersive XR experiences, while deepening the understanding of how our minds perceive reality.  

Areas of focus:

  • Understanding what makes an experience immersive 
  • Developing immersive extended realities
  • Using XR as a tool to study the brain and body

 

Founded

2014

Renewal Dates

2020

Partners

Anonymous partner

Supporters

Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation, The Lawrence & Judith Tanenbaum Family Foundation, Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Neuroscience, including cognitive neuroscience
Biological and cognitive psychology
Computer science, including artificial intelligence
Genetics
Philosophy, including ethics
Law

CIFAR Contact

Daniel Bacinello

Fellows & Advisors

Program Directors

Tim Bayne

Tim Bayne

Program Co-Director

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Monash University
Australia
Liad Mudrik

Liad Mudrik

Program Co-Director
Tanenbaum Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Tel Aviv University
Israel
Anil K. Seth

Anil K. Seth

Program Co-Director

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of Sussex
United Kingdom

Fellows

Axel Cleeremans

Axel Cleeremans

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Université Libre de Bruxelles
Belgium
Steve Fleming

Steve Fleming

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University College London
United Kingdom
Atsushi Iriki

Atsushi Iriki

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
RIKEN
Japan
Robert Kentridge

Robert Kentridge

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Durham University
United Kingdom
Marcello Massimini

Marcello Massimini

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of Milan
Italy
Jason B. Mattingley

Jason B. Mattingley

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of Queensland
Australia
Lucia Melloni

Lucia Melloni

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Germany
Liad Mudrik

Liad Mudrik

Program Co-Director
Tanenbaum Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Tel Aviv University
Israel
Adrian M. Owen

Adrian M. Owen

Koerner Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Western University
Canada
Aniruddh Patel

Aniruddh Patel

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Tufts University
United States
Megan Peters

Megan Peters

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of California Irvine
United States
Catherine Tallon-Baudry

Catherine Tallon-Baudry

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
École normale supérieure
France
Laurel Trainor

Laurel Trainor

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
McMaster University
Canada
Nicholas Turk-Browne

Nicholas Turk-Browne

Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Yale University
United States
Sandra Waxman

Sandra Waxman

Associate Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Northwestern University
United States
Robert Zatorre

Robert Zatorre

Associate Fellow

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
McGill University
Canada

Advisors

Stanislas Dehaene

Stanislas Dehaene

Advisor

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
INSERM-CEA Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit
France
Melvyn Goodale

Melvyn Goodale

Advisory Committee Chair

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Western University
Canada
Rafael Malach

Rafael Malach

Tanenbaum Advisor

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Weizmann Institute of Science
Israel
Kia Nobre

Kia Nobre

Advisor

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
United States

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars

Sahba Nomvula Besharati

Sahba Nomvula Besharati

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa
Craig Chapman

Craig Chapman

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of Alberta
Canada
Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Amherst College
United States
Catherine Duclos

Catherine Duclos

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2023-2025

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'île-de-Montréal
Université de Montréal
Canada
Guillaume Dumas

Guillaume Dumas

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2023-2025

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Université de Montréal
Canada
Christopher Krupenye

Christopher Krupenye

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2023-2025

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Johns Hopkins University
United States
Katherine McAuliffe

Katherine McAuliffe

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2017-2019

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Boston College
United States
Megan Peters

Megan Peters

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of California Irvine
United States
Kanaka Rajan

Kanaka Rajan

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2023-2025

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Harvard University
United States
Adeel Razi

Adeel Razi

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Monash University
Australia
Joshua Shepherd

Joshua Shepherd

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Identity & Well Being
Carleton University
University of Barcelona
Canada
Lucina Q. Uddin

Lucina Q. Uddin

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of California Los Angeles
United States
Filip Van Opstal

Filip Van Opstal

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
University of Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Yaniv Ziv

Yaniv Ziv

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020

Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Weizmann Institute of Science
Israel

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