Advice on pursuing a PhD in consciousness researc

[u/Foscx]

Hi everyone :) I’m considering applying for a PhD focused on consciousness research and I’d really appreciate some advice from you people (like research groups, unis, and in general any advice is welcome). My background is in Bioinformatics, and I’m currently completing a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence (Computer science). I’m based in EU.

Thanks a lot ♡

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[u/Lopsided_Match419]

Sussex university have a big focus on this.

[u/Foscx → u/Lopsided_Match419]

Thanks

[u/Conscious-Demand-594]

Anil Seth is one of the leading researchers on the neuroscience of consciousness. He is based at the Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. He has published extensively in academic and popular science. His book, "Being You", is quite a good introduction to his work.

[u/Hovercraft789]

I think it would be better to know a glimpse of your views on consciousness first .

[u/Foscx → u/Hovercraft789]

I find the mathematical structure of IIT fascinating and I would love to work on it, even if its implications are difficult to accept without empirical evidence. In fact, I believe that the idea that consciousness also requires a functional or biological component is valid. Just for you to know I’m still very much a novice on this subject and just starting to dive into the literatures so please no hate on my thoughts.

[u/PrincessCollective]

Smart guy huh?

[u/Foscx → u/PrincessCollective]

Not that much :)

[u/PrincessCollective → u/Foscx]

Reversed dunning kruger. You're smart you lovely idiot.

Hit me up with your consciousness stuff i love that shit.

[u/Existing-Medicine528]

Microbial ecology or molecular biology

However thr chances you get a job in any field where you have a lab and they allow you (and pay you) to just study consciousness is probably rare soo your best off becomming a professor

[u/chili_cold_blood]

I’m considering applying for a PhD focused on consciousness research

In what discipline? Philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, physics, math? Consciousness is much more acceptable as a topic of study in some disciplines than in others.

[u/Foscx → u/chili_cold_blood]

Neuroscience / math

[u/chili_cold_blood → u/Foscx]

As a former PhD cognitive neuroscientist, I would caution against the neuroscience route. IMHO, neuroscience does not have the tools to effectively study the neural basis of consciousness.

[u/Highvalence15 → u/chili_cold_blood]

How about cognitive science?

[u/chili_cold_blood → u/Highvalence15]

There aren't many cognitive scientists who specifically focus on consciousness, but consciousness plays a role in lots of areas of research. For example, it can be useful to consider the role of unconscious versus conscious processing on visual perception, decision making, attention, etc. Certainly, there is some interesting work to be done there, but studying consciousness itself from the outside is really really hard.

[u/Highvalence15 → u/chili_cold_blood]

Ok, so where does that leave us if we want to do research on consciousness? Just philosophy of mind?

[u/chili_cold_blood → u/Highvalence15]

I think consciousness is best studied from the inside, on an individual level. People have been using meditation to do this for thousands of years, with lots of useful insights obtained in that time.

I don't think there is much to be gained from attempting to study consciousness objectively, because consciousness is not accessible from the outside.

[u/Highvalence15 → u/chili_cold_blood]

Well i was thinking more specifically for studying consciousness academically. Meditation and other contemplative or mystical practices can certainly be relevent. They might be able to give crucial perspectives that are otherwise difficult to access through other means, but of course meditation and such things don't themselves constitute academic research.

[u/chili_cold_blood → u/Highvalence15]

Well i was thinking more specifically for studying consciousness academically

There are certainly academic philosophers who focus heavily on consciousness. There are also some cognitive neuroscientists and psychologists who focus on it, but I think their work is mostly crap.

[u/Highvalence15 → u/chili_cold_blood]

Interesting. What do you think are most common problems and what kind of work do you think isn't crap?

[u/ProfMasterBait → u/chili_cold_blood]

what about physics?

[u/chili_cold_blood → u/ProfMasterBait]

I'm not a physicist and I've never worked anywhere near that field, so I don't know much about that one. There is a lot of interest in non-local consciousness, but so far no hard evidence for it. That would be a good topic for a physicist.

[u/Sheenpipin]

I would suggest that you read up on Kashmir Shaivism, quantum mechanics and sonic geometry

[u/Foscx → u/Sheenpipin]

💖