MESEC Winter School 2024
Passed
  • Banyoles, Catalunya

  • From March 18th to March 24th, 2024

  • Bursaries were available to participants who wouldn't have been able to attend otherwise, covering part or all of the fees

The scientific exploration of consciousness spans across a wide range of disciplines: from biology to philosophy, maths and physics to psychology — and experimental approaches, from introspection of mental states, psychophysical objective measurements to mathematically inspired models. This naturally results in a dramatically fragmented field, hard to navigate and almost impossible to grasp for a newcomer.

This is why we created a unique Winter School format. In this year’s edition of the event, we will provide a comprehensive theoretical and practical overview of current topics and questions in consciousness research. With keynotes and hands-on tutorials given by leading researchers in the field, attendees will have the opportunity to gain knowledge, form new connections, and pave their way in consciousness research.

We welcome applications from all early-career researchers and students, undergraduate to doctoral.

Program

During the school, we will zoom in on various aspects of the science of consciousness, covering from basics to current controversies. This year’s topics introduce the foundations of current consciousness research and cover themes such as theoretical frameworks and methodological paradigms.

The school is focused on onsite in-depth discussions, and will include a mix of online keynotes, on-site tutorials, and participant-led discussions, aiming to confront different and complementary perspectives in the field. This format incentivizes critical thinking, asking questions, developing new ideas, and networking with other curious researchers in a scenic environment. By the end of the week, you will gain new knowledge, a network of friends and potential collaborators, and a whole new perspective on the field of consciousness.

We encourage all eligible researchers to apply, and we look forward to welcoming you to the MESEC Winter School!

Scientific Chair

MESEC Winter School is honored to have Prof. Liad Mudrik as the scientific chair of our event. A pioneer in collaborative efforts in the field of consciousness, her research explores the effects of cognition on conscious and unconscious perception, the comparison of theories of consciousness, and consciousness' role in voluntary action. She is a professor at Tel Aviv University as well as the co-lead of COGITATE consortium, an adversarial collaboration between GNW and IIT.

For more information, visit her website.

Location

From Salvador Dali to Juan Miro, Catalan artists have a long history of exploring the human mind, our emotional landscape, and our ability to self-reflect. Thus, the sunny Catalunya is an ideal location for the MESEC Winter School, where we will delve into the depths and boundaries of experience. The beautiful and calm mountains, an hour and a half from Barcelona, will provide us ample opportunities for endless discussions, intense tutorials, and extra-curricular experiences. The scenic, isolated venue we chose for the Winter School aims to facilitate a comfortable and welcoming environment for fruitful dialogues and exchanges of views.

Bursaries

At MESEC, we are committed to ensuring that financial constraints don't hinder early-career researchers from attending events like MESEC Winter School. Our bursary program aims to alleviate participation fees and travel expenses of selected participants, with the goal of making the Winter School accessible to a diverse range of researchers and students, from undergraduates to doctoral candidates. While we strive to assist as many individuals as possible, the number of bursaries available is limited.

All information regarding bursaries is available within the application form.

Organizers

Ulysse Klatzmann

Université Paris Cité/ University of Oxford

Rony Hirschhorn

Tel-Aviv University

Hanna Tolle

Imperial College London

Francisca Ayres Ribeiro

Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience / Universiteit van Amsterdam

Camilo Miguel Signorelli

University of Oxford

Hadrien Titeux

École Normale Supérieure

Principal Advisor

Virginia Cooper

Templeton World Charity Foundation

Scientific Chair

Liad Mudrik

Tel Aviv University

On-site Tutors

Jaan Aru

University of Tartu

Dendritic integration theory

Camilo Miguel Signorelli

University of Oxford

Joana Cabral

Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, Minho University

Emergent modes of collective brain activity reveal correlates of consciousness

Andrea Luppi

University of Oxford/St John’s College

Pharmacological perturbations of consciousness

Online Speakers

Steve Fleming

University College London

Metacognition & Higher-order Theories of Consciousness

Anil Seth

University of Sussex

Real Problem

Biyu Jade He

New York University

Pluralistic approaches in consciousness science

Naotsugu Tsuchiya

Monash University

Structure of Subjective Experience

Dan Zahavi

Center for Subjectivity Research, University of Copenhagen

The Self and Consciousness

Nicola Clayton

University of Cambridge

Animal Consciousness

Jakob Hohwy

Monash University

Predictive Processing

Hubert Preissl

University of Tübingen

Developmental consciousness

Olivia Gosseries

Université de Liège

Disorders of consciousness

Inês Hipólito

Macquarie University

Free energy principle

Sebastjan Vörös

University of Ljubljana

Varela, enactivism and implications to consciousness

Participants

Victoria Joris
Bruna Vieira Tiburcio
Mar Estarellas
Inès Ben Haj Kacem
Gerardo Gonzalo
Maximilian Kathofer
Moritz Kriegleder
Juan Sergio Ponce de Leon
Veronika Alekseeva
Javier Hidalgo Jiménez
Jonathan Buhler
Marika Constant
Delaram Sadeghzadeh
Sai Ayachit
Stefan Weinhardt
Bobby Tromm
Emma Sophia Ruhland Moorhead
Harry Crosswell
Marta Xavier
Aswathi Thrivikraman

With the support of

Templeton World Charity Foundation