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Bamberg Mathematical Consciousness Science Initiative (BAMΞ)

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  8. University of Bamberg Launches International Initiative in Mathematical Consciousness Science

University of Bamberg Launches International Initiative in Mathematical Consciousness Science

The University of Bamberg has officially approved the Bamberg Mathematical Consciousness Science Initiative (BAMΞ).

The decision was announced by the Vice President of the University, Prof. Dr. Thomas Saalfeld, who expressed strong support for the project given its pioneering role in an emerging scientific field.

BAMΞ will serve as an international hub for Mathematical Consciousness Science (MCS), a young research area at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, computer science, mathematics, physics, and philosophy. Mathematical Consciousness Science investigates the mathematical structures, models, and methods that underpin our understanding of consciousness.

Reinhold M?ller, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia.org

The initiative’s founding members include Prof. Dr. Claus H. Carstensen (Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences and Education) and Dr. Dr. Johannes Kleiner (Institute for Psychology, University of Bamberg; Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, LMU Munich). An international advisory board of leading scholars in Consciousness Science—among them David Chalmers (NYU), Anil Seth (University of Sussex), Lucia Melloni (MPI for Empirical Aesthetics), and Lenore Blum (Carnegie Mellon University)—has confirmed its commitment to provide strategic guidance and feedback as BAMΞ develops. A diverse group of outstanding consciousness researchers from all academic career stages already joined BAMΞ as associated researchers.

With the initiative’s approval, the University of Bamberg joins a small group of universities worldwide who host research institutions devoted to the Scientific Study of Consciousness, among them New York University's Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness, the University of Sussex’ Centre for Consciousness Science, Stanford's Center for the Explanation of Consciousness, and Monash University's Center for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies. The University of Bamberg is the first to create a hub dedicated specifically to mathematical approaches in Consciousness Science.

Following the highly successful Models of Consciousness conference held at Bamberg in 2024—after earlier iterations in Oxford (2019, 2023) and Stanford (2022)—BAMΞ will host workshops, residencies, conferences, and research seminars, both on site and in hybrid formats.

In line with the University of Bamberg’s international strategy, BAMΞ is designed to foster cooperation with leading institutions worldwide, attract international visiting researchers for both short and long stays, and enhance Bamberg’s visibility on the global stage. By organizing international events and promoting collaborative projects, the initiative will also contribute to increasing international research collaborations and strengthen Bamberg’s role as an active node in global academic networks.

BAMΞ’s approval marks a milestone for the international community of researchers working in Mathematical Consciousness Science. It establishes an open-minded, interdisciplinary hub where scientists from all career stages can collaborate, exchange ideas, and advance one of science’s great challenges: understanding the nature of consciousness.