Advisors

BPF Advisory Board

Brain Preservation Foundation (BPF) advisors are accomplished, high-integrity professionals who are publicly committed to the need for a thorough scientific evaluation of the state of the art of brain preservation technology. They help BPF, a nonprofit charitable organization, to execute its mission, and to achieve the highest standards of professionalism, service, effectiveness, ethics, integrity, and transparency. They advise BPF on its Prize structure, competitor support and outreach, communications and public profile, fundraising, policy positions, and other issues relevant to assessing and advancing brain preservation technology. Each honors BPF greatly with their service, and may leave our advisory board at any time. While each BPF advisor may choose to advise on any topic, advisors are loosely grouped into the following functional areas.

Science and Technology  These distinguished individuals give BPF their advice and opinions regarding scientific and technical questions related to neural preservation, neuroscience, imaging, connectomics, support and outreach to competing scientific teams, and issues of usefulness, verification, falsifiability and professional credibility with respect to competition goals and procedures. Each typically has an advanced degree and a current affiliation with a university or research laboratory.

Andrew Bleloch, Ph.D., Past PI, SuperSTEM Microscope, Dir. Microscopy, Halcyon Molecular, Inc.
Jim Blascovich, Ph.D., Co-Director of the Research Center for Virtual Environments & Behavior, UCSB
L. Stephen Coles, M.D., Ph.D., Lecturer, UCLA, Co-Founder, Los Angeles Gerontology Research Group
João de Magalhães, Ph.D., Director, Integrative Genomics of Aging Group, University of Liverpool
David Eagleman, Ph.D., Author, Director, Laboratory for Perception and Action, Baylor College of Medicine
John-Dylan Haynes, Ph.D. Prof., Theory & Analysis of Large-Scale Brain Signals, Bernstein Ctr. Comp. Neurosci, Berlin
Bruce Katz, Ph.D. Author, Adj. Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel U., Chief Scientist, Coldlight
Ken Hayworth, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher, ATLUM Project, Harvard University, Cognitive science researcher
Randal Koene, Ph.D., Director of Analysis, Halcyon Molecular, Inc.
Peter Passaro, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Neural Dynamics and Consciousness Lab, University of Sussex
Thomas Ramsøy, Ph.D., Blogger, Prof., Decision Neurosciences Resrch Group, Copenhagen Bus. Sch. and DRCMR
Sebastian Seung, Ph.D., Author, Professor of Computational Neuroscience, Dept. of Brain and Cog. Sciences, MIT
Michael Shermer, Ph.D., Author, Founder, Skeptics Society, Editor, Skeptic magazine
Olaf Sporns, Ph.D., Author, Prof. Computational Neuroscience, Indiana U., Investigator, Human Connectome Project
Erik Viirre, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Surgery and Otoneurology and Cognitive Science, UCSD 

Business and Fundraising  These philanthropic individuals help BPF with nonprofit business and strategy and with Prize or endowment fundraising activities.

Daniel Crevier, Ph.D., Author, AI, 1994, Founder, Coreco, now subsid. of Teledyne Tech
David Kekich, CEO, TransVio Tech Ventures, President, Maximum Life Foundation
John M. Smart, M.S., Prof, Emerging Tech, UAT, President, Acceleration Studies Foundation

Media and Community  These accomplished advisors help with scientific, technical, and social issues around our public message, media relations, educational materials, or community development for the nonprofit.

Michael Chorost, Ph.D., Author, Rebuilt, 2006 and World Wide Mind, 2011
Charles B. Olson, M.S., Author, A Possible Cure for Death, Medical Hypotheses 26:77-84
Giulio Prisco, Telepresence developer, teleXLR8, blogger, former manager in the European Space Agency
Robert Tercek, Innovation blogger, Fellow, Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturing, and Commerce

Policy and Legal  These generous legal and policy professionals help BPF with policy positions, legal, or governance issues and activities.

Michael P. Eddy, J.D., Founder, TEDx Del Mar, Director, Patent.org
Alan S. Ziegler, J.D., Private Attorney

Philosophy and Ethics  These leading scholars help BPF consider the philosophical, social, or ethical (moral philosophy) implications of brain preservation technologies, and help BPF draft positions on these topics.

David Chalmers, Ph.D., Author, Director, Centre for Consciousness, Australian National U.
Andy Clark, Ph.D., Author, Prof. of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh 
James Hughes, Ph.D., Author, Exec. Director, Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies
Toby Ord, Ph.D. Research Fellow, Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology at the University of Oxford.
Nicholas Shackel, Ph.D., Sen. Lect. Philos., Cardiff U.; Dist. Resrch Fellow, Uehiro Ctr for Practical Ethics, U. Oxford

Cryonics Community Affiliated  These distinguished individuals, in addition to their solid qualifications in any of the above boards, also have current or past ties to the cryonics science or technology communities. We list them separately in the interest of transparency, to clarify that BPF is neither a cryonics "front" organization, nor is it afraid to associate with those who have an interest in advancing cryonics science and technology.

Robert A. Freitas Jr., J.D., Author of Nanomedicine; Senior Res. Fellow, Inst. for Molecular Manufacturing
Steve Harris, M.D., Director of Research, Critical Care Research; Scientific Advisory Board, Life Extension Foundation
Todd Huffman, M.S., CEO, 3Scan, Knife Edge Scanning Microscopy
Eugen Leitl, M.S., System Administrator/Developer at InfoChem GmbH

Disclaimer: BPF Advisors have their own views and opinions that are not necessarily those of BPF staff, and vice versa. Being a BPF Advisor does not create legal liability, either to or on behalf of BPF, with the exception of those advisors who at any time may also be directors or agents of BPF.

Are you a high-integrity individual with an interest in BPF's mission and an accomplished background in any of the above functional areas? Please contact us, we'd love to hear from you.