Past Events
Invited Speakers
James Tagg
Founder & President · The Penrose Institute
James Tagg is a serial entrepreneur and award-winning author. He was one of the original inventors of the touchscreen, founded Truphone (the world's first global mobile operator), made the first mobile phone call over the Internet, and developed the eSIM. He holds over 200 patents. James studied Physics and Computer Science at Manchester University, Design at Lancaster University, and Engineering at Cambridge. He co-founded the Penrose Institute with Roger Penrose. His venture Valis Corporation is developing a quantum biocomputer connecting 1,024 brain organoids (~500 million neurons). Author of "Are the Androids Dreaming Yet?"
Rajnish Khanna
Senior Investigator, Biosphere Science and Engineering · Carnegie Science, Stanford
Rajnish Khanna is a senior investigator at the Carnegie Institution for Science, where he specializes in biosphere science and engineering, focusing on plant biology and related fields. He has contributed to research in photosynthesis and bioenergy, aiming to advance sustainable technologies. In his current role, he leads investigations into biological systems for scientific and engineering applications.
Stuart Hameroff
Professor Emeritus of Anesthesiology & Psychology · University of Arizona
Stuart Hameroff is an American anesthesiologist and professor at the University of Arizona known for his studies of consciousness. He co-developed the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) theory with Nobel laureate Roger Penrose, proposing that consciousness originates from quantum states in neural microtubules. He is the Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies and lead organizer of the Science of Consciousness conference. His work spans molecular biology, neuroscience, pharmacology, philosophy, quantum information theory, and quantum gravity.