DURHAM, N.C. – The Burroughs Wellcome Fund announced the inaugural cohort of advisors for the As1 Next Generation Advisory Council, a new initiative designed to engage emerging leaders at the forefront of consciousness science, medicine, and storytelling.
The Council brings together 20 early-career scholars and practitioners from 13 countries and regions, representing a diverse range of disciplines including neuroscience, clinical medicine, ecology, Indigenous and cross-cultural studies, and the arts. Selected through a highly competitive global process, the advisors will participate in an eight-month collaborative program running from April through December 2026.
The As1 initiative reflects a growing commitment to advancing research and dialogue around consciousness and its connections to human health, ecological systems, and lived experience. Council members will contribute to this effort through structured monthly sessions, interdisciplinary workshops, and a capstone set of strategic recommendations to inform future investments and priorities.
Throughout the program, advisors will engage with leading thinkers across the field and collaborate on key outputs, including peer-reviewed manuscripts, public-facing science communication efforts, and a final report outlining opportunities for advancing the science and practice of consciousness.
“Bringing together emerging leaders across disciplines and geographies creates the conditions for genuinely new ways of thinking about consciousness and its role in human health and society,” said Conor H. Murray, PhD, consulting Program Director. “Many of the crises we face — ecological disconnection, existential distress, our human potential — are at their root crises of consciousness. This Council is designed to explore the science and shape how it is communicated, applied, and understood in a broader societal context.”
By convening this global cohort of emerging voices, the As1 Next Generation Advisory Council aims to accelerate new ideas, foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, and help shape the future of a rapidly evolving field.
Oisín Clancy — Independent
Jessica Corneille — University of Cambridge
Julia Espinosa, PhD — York University
Kassandra Gibbs, MD — University of California, Los Angeles
Rony Hirschhorn, PhD — University of Sussex
Mia Imani — University of California, Los Angeles
Hyunwoo Jang — University of Michigan
Nino Kadic, PhD — Institute of Philosophy Zagreb
Caatje Kluskens — Wageningen University & Research
Olivia McAnirlin, PhD — Clemson University
Emmanuel Mensah, MD — Harvard University
Mihir Nath — Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
Laura Pustarfi, PhD — California Institute of Integral Studies
Sidath Rankaduwa — Western University
Marlena Robbins — University of California, Berkeley
Rebekah Senānāyaka, PhD — Explorers Club
Ishan Singhal, PhD — University of Sussex
Ian Stover — Material
Bobby Tromm — University College London
Zarmeen Zahid, PhD — Johns Hopkins University
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