What would a physics of consciousness need to explain, and which experiments could test it? This panel compares personal routes into consciousness research with competing accounts of microtubules, quantum fluctuations, nonlocality and psi phenomena.
The discussion includes remote-viewing research, the interpretation of Bell’s theorem, hidden-variable theories, retrocausation and free will. Panelists disagree over claimed technological suppression, experimental replication and decline effects in psi studies, then suggest research priorities ranging from brain organoids to larger controlled experiments. Speculative ideas and reported results are the speakers’ views as of the recording date.
Founder · Hyperstition Incorporated
Andrew Cote is an engineering physicist and the founder of Hyperstition Incorporated, the company that organizes Deep Tech Week.
Thomas G. Brophy, PhD, is President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). He previously served as president of California Institute for Human Science (CIHS). His tenure as president of CIHS oversaw a many-year effort to achieve regional accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Colleges and Universities Commission (WSCUC) in 2021, for CIHS as a unique mind, body, spirit integral university. Earning a BA in physics from Colorado College, and MS and PhD degrees in physics from the University of Colorado (CU), Boulder, Thomas’ academic and scientific appointments include: the CU Nuclear Physics Laboratory, the CU Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) where he worked on NASA’s Voyager and Cassini spacecraft projects, and an appointment as a National Science Foundation Exchange Scientist at the University of Tokyo Department of Earth and Planetary Physics and ISAS robotic space program, where he published pioneering work on computational solutions to the Boltzmann equation, the astrodynamical origins of planetary rings and interstellar comets. Thomas explored the fundamental science and ontology of consciousness and its cultural implications in his 1998 book The Mechanism Demands a Mysticism: An Exploration of Spirit, Matter, and Physics. His study of the archaeoastronomy of prehistoric Egypt, published in his books The Origin Map, and Black Genesis co-authored with Robert Bauval, has been cited as relevant to the study of extraterrestrial, or transhuman, intelligence.
Professor Emeritus · University of Colorado Boulder
Garret Moddel is Professor Emeritus of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, where his work focuses on quantum engineering and device technology for energy conversion. At Colorado he led a research group in photonics and quantum engineering, including the development of ultra‑high‑speed metal–insulator diodes for rectenna solar cells, devices designed to collect and rectify sunlight and waste heat, as well as investigations into extracting energy from the quantum vacuum and related zero‑point energy concepts. In addition to his academic position, he has founded several high‑tech start-up companies based on his device and energy research, and he has served as president and later vice president of the Society for Scientific Exploration. Moddel has authored numerous scientific papers on thin‑film optoelectronic devices, rectenna solar cells, geometric diodes, metal‑insulator technology, and unconventional energy technologies, and is credited with around 30 patents arising from this work. His research program has also encompassed experimental studies of psi phenomena and machine consciousness, extending his interest in quantum‑related effects into consciousness research. He earned a BSEE degree from Stanford University, followed by MS and PhD degrees in Applied Physics from Harvard University.
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.
CEO and Founder · Quantcomm
Harold E. “Hal” Puthoff, Ph.D., is President, CEO, and Chairman of EarthTech International and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1967 for work on the stimulated Raman effect and tunable lasers. Early in his career he developed microwave-tube beam systems at Sperry, served as a Navy officer assigned to the National Security Agency on high-speed optical computing, and later invented tunable-laser and electron-beam devices. He is co-author of the graduate textbook Fundamentals of Quantum Electronics and holds patents in lasers, communications, and energy. His present research ranges from theoretical studies of fundamental electrodynamics, gravitation, and the quantum vacuum to laboratory work on new approaches to energy generation and space propulsion. Before founding the Austin institute in 1985, he spent more than a decade at SRI International directing large government-sponsored research programs. He continues to advise NASA, the Department of Defense, corporations, and the intelligence community on advanced technologies and future technical trends.
Founder & President · Valis Corporation
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?"
Fellow · M31 Capital
Dr. Derakshani is a physicist and scientific advisor specializing in quantum mechanics, gravitational physics, and mathematical modeling. With a track record of leading international teams in collaborative research, he develops models that inform policy and planning for government agencies and corporate interests. His physics-related work includes advising the CEO of Foothold Labs on theoretical models based on data from low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR), as well as partnering with physicists in the US, Italy, and Hungary on grant-funded research in quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and quantum gravity during his tenure at Rutgers University. Quoted in media publications for his contributions to physics and technosignatures analysis, he has served as lead or co-author on several peer-reviewed publications and presented at over 40 conferences, meetings, and university lectures worldwide on topics in physics, mathematics, and philosophy. He has also briefed U.S. Congress members on Moon and Mars image analysis. His research interests encompass quantum mechanics, general relativity, quantum gravity, electrodynamics, statistical physics, atmospheric physics, quantity theory of money, monetarism and market monetarism, Moon and Mars geological anomalies, and analysis of NASA satellite and analog imagery.
Philosopher
Jason Reza Jorjani is a philosopher born in 1981 and raised in New York City. His mother is a native New Yorker of mixed Northern European ancestry. His father is Persian and a descendant of Iran’s Qajar dynasty. He attended the Fleming School and the Dalton School, earned his BA and MA from New York University, and received his PhD in Philosophy from Stony Brook University in 2013. While living in Manhattan, Jorjani taught at several universities in the New York–New Jersey metropolitan area. His courses covered the history of philosophy, Heidegger, Iranian history, science, technology and society (STS), the philosophy of technology, comparative religion, and ethics. He is the author of seventeen books: Prometheus and Atlas (2016) World State of Emergency (2017) Lovers of Sophia (2017; republished 2019) Novel Folklore (2018) Iranian Leviathan (2019) Prometheism (2020) Closer Encounters (2021) Promethean Pirate (2022) Artemis Unveiled (2023) Psychotron (2023) Erosophia (2024) Philosophy of the Future (2024) Metapolemos (2025) Thanosis (2025) Fundamental Thinkers (2026) Occult Horizons (2026) Prometheus and Atlas received the Parapsychological Association’s 2016 Book Award. Jorjani is an associate member of the association and a member of the Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE). He has appeared in more than a hundred video interviews and podcasts.
Science Fiction as a Service.
The Institute of Noetic Sciences conducts scientific research and operates direct-experience programs at the intersection of science and profound human experience. It focuses on consciousness and human potential through research, education, and transformative programs. The organization maintains its headquarters in Petaluma, California.
M31 Capital's investment thesis revolves around recognizing historical patterns of technological unlocks that drive civilizational progress and power shifts, viewing breakthroughs like blockchain, AI, and psychedelics as phase transitions that reshape societies by revealing deeper truths about reality. Drawing from the "Great Founder Theory," the firm emphasizes backing exceptional "Live Players"—visionary individuals with obsessive focus who pioneer paradigm shifts, such as Satoshi Nakamoto with Bitcoin—through a systematized "machine" that augments human judgment to detect these opportunities at an accelerating pace. Focused on infrastructure emerging from these unlocks, particularly in blockchain and crypto (e.g., DeFi and compute races), M31 prioritizes asymmetric returns by positioning capital ahead of consensus, avoiding market predictions and instead leveraging historical waves of emergence, dismissal, adoption, suppression, and triumph to invest in transformative technologies that compress innovation timelines exponentially. This approach has yielded over 1,000% five-year returns in blockchain, underscoring their unique blend of pattern recognition and operator-driven strategies in high-velocity sectors.
The University of Arizona is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. It offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees through 20 colleges and schools to over 53,000 students. Research activities span disciplines including astronomy, optics, biosciences, engineering, medicine, and social sciences, with annual expenditures exceeding $687 million from federal agencies, foundations, and industry partners. The university operates facilities such as the Steward Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, and Biosphere 2 for scientific research and education. It employs over 15,000 faculty and staff and serves students, researchers, and communities via academic programs, extension services, and public outreach. Classified as an R1 Doctoral University with very high research activity, it is a member of the Association of American Universities and a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Enrollment includes about 40,000 undergraduates and 13,000 graduates.
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university that offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional education across nine colleges and schools, with more than 150 academic programs. The university is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, and its main campus is there, and was founded in 1876. A research area of particular strength is quantum science and technology.
Valis Corporation develops hybrid biological quantum computers by coupling arrays of 1,024 brain organoids, each containing around one million neurons, using quantum-entangled photons and patented technology to connect them to silicon-based neural networks. The Large Brain Model project produces approximately 500 million neurons and outputs 11 terabits of data per second for applications including complex reasoning, human behavior modeling such as stock trading, non-linguistic reasoning like visual design, financial market modeling, mathematical theorem proving, brain mapping, energy-efficient AI, and research on cognitive diseases including epilepsy and Alzheimer's. The company performed experiments on IBM's Eagle 127-qubit quantum processor with superconducting transmon qubits, demonstrating wavefunction collapse consistent with Orchestrated Objective Reduction theory by incorporating gravitational effects through mass displacement. James Tagg serves as Founder and President, with Will Reid as Co-Founder. The laboratory focuses on quantum communications, sensing, and computation. Headquarters are located in Encinitas, California, with partnerships such as the Muotri Lab at the University of California San Diego.
6:50 Andrew Cote
Founder, Hyperstition Incorporated
Physics of Consciousness · Sep 25, 2026
Maaneli Derakshani
Fellow, M31 Capital
Physics of Consciousness · Sep 25, 2026
19:27 James Tagg
Founder & President, Valis Corporation
Physics of Consciousness · Sep 25, 2026
Stuart Hameroff
Professor Emeritus of Anesthesiology & Psychology, University of Arizona
Physics of Consciousness · Sep 25, 2026
19:39 Garret Moddel
Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado Boulder
Physics of Consciousness · Sep 25, 2026
21:11 Thomas Brophy
Institute of Noetic Sciences
Physics of Consciousness · Sep 25, 2026
Jason Reza Jorjani
Philosopher
Physics of Consciousness · Sep 25, 2026
