The Brain & Consciousness Research Centre (BCRC) and its pedagogical wing, the Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain & Consciousness (GIMBC), were inspired by the visions of Carl Hempel, Julian Jaynes, Herbert Simon, Patricia Churchland, and Marcus Raichle. Each of these scholar-scientists had visions of how science can create new frontiers of knowledge in—scientific explanation and confirmation, consciousness science, artificial intelligence, neurophilosophy, and understanding the brain's intrinsic activity. The shared mission of BCRC & GIMBC is not to implement their visions; rather, it is to build on and reach beyond, ever leaning into the future, with the ambition of reducing human ignorance. More specifically, our main goal is to understand that which is most familiar yet least understood, that which constitutes who we are, the conscious self. In order to achieve this goal, we investigate temporal, spatial and biochemical brain activity in neurological or psychiatric patients, in healthy human subjects, and in nonhuman animals and insects. Our aspiration is to shun the trivial and embrace a life lived at the border between knowledge and ignorance. Only in this way can the science of the mind-brain progress. And only through progress can we help relieve the suffering of humankind.

Areas of Expertise

For Students

Although BCRC does not have a program for students, our sister institution, the Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness (GIMBC) does have both MSc and PhD programs. Students of GIMBC have full access to our BCRC labs. For information concerning how to apply to GIMBC, please see http://gimbc.tmu.edu.tw/index.php?action=about&id=1