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Speakers
International Conference on Thought, Perception & Reality
List of Speakers
Prof. Sangeeta Menon
Head, Consciousness Studies Program,
NIAS, IISc Bangalore
Sangeetha Menon joined National Institute of Advanced Studies, in January 1996, in the Indian Institute of Science campus, Bangalore (India). Her interview and appointment was led by an illustrious group of scientists like Dr Raja Ramanna (Founding Director of NIAS), Prof CV Sundaram, Prof BV Sreekantan and Prof RL Kapur. Subsequently she conceptualised and commenced the NIAS Consciousness Studies Programme along with BV Sreekantan (former Director, TIFR and Honorary Professor, NIAS). This was the first academic group that started in India to study consciousness with an interdisciplinary and a multidisciplinary mandate. Sangeetha is a philosopher with a keen interest in consciousness. Her major area of research is in philosophy of psychology.
Her expertise is in Indian philosophy, consciousness studies, philosophy of psychology, philosophy and psychology of self. She works with her colleagues at NIAS and collaborators worldwide to create and encourage a first-person centered approach to understanding consciousness and cognitive capabilities that favours experiential well-being for all. Dr Menon’s professional qualifications include degrees in biology and philosophy. She is a first rank holder and gold medalist from Maharaja’s College for Women, Trivandrum for post-graduate degree in philosophy. The thesis for her doctoral degree, from University of Kerala, is on the concept of consciousness in the Bhagavad Gita which was completed with junior and senior research fellowship from University Grants Commission, India.
Prof. Narayanan Srinivasan
Department of Cognitive Science, IIT Kanpur
Prof. Narayanan Srinivasan is a prominent cognitive scientist and currently serves as the Head of the Department of Cognitive Science at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. With an academic background spanning physics, electrical engineering, and psychology, he earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Georgia, USA. Prior to joining IIT Kanpur, he was a founding member and head of the Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences (CBCS) at the University of Allahabad. His research interests include consciousness, attention, emotions, decision-making, and the cognitive effects of meditation and mindfulness. He utilizes diverse methodologies such as behavioral studies, EEG, and fMRI to explore the neural and psychological bases of human cognition. A prolific scholar, he has authored over 200 publications and serves on editorial boards of several leading journals. He is a Fellow of multiple academic societies, including the Association for Psychological Science and the National Academy of Psychology (India), and currently serves as the President-Elect of the latter.
Dr. Pius V Thomas
Head, Department of Philosophy,
Assam University Silchar
Dr. Pius V. Thomas is the Head (In-Charge) of the Department of Philosophy at Assam University, Silchar, and serves as an Assistant Professor (Stage-3). With a strong academic background including a Ph.D. and post-doctoral studies, his areas of specialization span contemporary Western thought, applied ethics, critical theory, hermeneutics, philosophy of religion, and human rights. His research interests focus on intercultural critique, democracy and religion, environmental ethics, and the philosophy of human rights. Dr. Thomas has made substantial academic contributions through numerous journal publications and book chapters, and he has edited the volume Knowledge, Theorization and Rights: Renegotiating the Connectives. He has guided several Ph.D. and M.Phil. scholars and currently leads a research project on the concept of meditation in Tibetan Buddhism and Catholicism, funded by the Salesian Research Centre and the United Board. He has actively participated in national and international seminars, delivered invited lectures, and held key administrative roles including Nodal Officer for RTI and CPIO at Assam University. His academic work reflects a commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship and the ethical dimensions of philosophical inquiry.
Prof. Mathew
Chandrankunnel CMI
Consultant, JIS University Kolkata
Prof. Dr. Mathew Chandrankunnel CMI is a distinguished philosopher of science, Catholic priest, and interfaith advocate, currently serving as a senior consultant at JIS University, Kolkata . Born on April 26, 1958, he is a member of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation. He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science from the University of Leuven, Belgium, in 1998, focusing on foundational issues in quantum mechanics. His research involved collaborations with Nobel laureates such as Aage Bohr, Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, and Ilya Prigogine .
Dr. Chandrankunnel has held academic positions at institutions including Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram and Christ University in Bangalore. He has been a visiting professor at several international universities, such as the University of Leuven, Potsdam University, and the State University of New York . His scholarly work bridges science, philosophy, and theology, with notable publications like Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics and Ascent to Truth: The Physics, Philosophy and Religion of Galileo Galilei.
Beyond academia, Dr. Chandrankunnel has been actively involved in interfaith dialogue. He founded the Bangalore Forum for Science and Religion and co-founded the Bangalore Initiative for Religious Dialogue, aiming to foster understanding among diverse religious communities . From 2016 to 2021, he served as the first Catholic Director of the Ecumenical Christian Centre in Bangalore, where he initiated programs like the Mindfulness Park – Vishwamitra Mandala .
Currently, at JIS University, Dr. Chandrankunnel continues to integrate his expertise in science, philosophy, and religion, contributing to academic and interfaith initiatives.
Dr. Nesin Mathew Shibin
Christ University, Bangalore
Dr. Nesin Mathew is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Christ University, Bengaluru, specializing in neurophysiology and cognitive neuroscience. She earned her Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in 2019 and holds an M.Sc. from Bangalore University. A life member of the Indian Academy of Neuroscience, Dr. Mathew’s research interests encompass motor learning, neurorehabilitation, psychoneuroimmunology, and the neural correlates of decision-making and emotional regulation. Her scholarly contributions include studies on constraint-induced movement therapy for stroke rehabilitation, the neurobiology of emotional regulation in cyberbullying victims, and the effects of subliminal priming on consumer behavior. She has also explored spatial cognition and campus design through spatial syntax analysis. Dr. Mathew has supervised doctoral research on EEG neurofeedback and priming in consumer behavior and has led projects investigating brain synchrony during meditation. Actively engaged in academic discourse, she has participated in various national and international conferences and workshops, contributing to the advancement of neuroscience and psychology.
Prof. Sisir Roy is an esteemed theoretical physicist and interdisciplinary scholar, currently serving as an Honorary Visiting Professor and Senior Homi Bhabha Fellow at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. He joined NIAS in 2014, initially holding the T.V. Raman Pai Chair Visiting Professorship until 2018, and has since been actively involved in the Consciousness Studies Programme within the School of Humanities.
Prior to his tenure at NIAS, Prof. Roy had a distinguished career at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, where he joined as faculty in 1980 and served as a Professor in the Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit from 1993 to 2014 . His academic journey includes postdoctoral research at the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris (1986–87), where he collaborated with renowned physicist Jean-Pierre Vigier on foundational issues in quantum theory.
Prof. Roy’s research interests are remarkably diverse, encompassing the foundations of quantum mechanics, theoretical astrophysics, cosmology, cognitive modeling, and consciousness studies. He has made significant contributions to understanding the intersections of modern physics with ancient Indian philosophical traditions, particularly in the context of meditation, neuronal correlates, and bacterial intelligence.
An accomplished author, Prof. Roy has published extensively, including works like “Decision Making and Modeling in Cognitive Science” (Springer, 2016) and “Understanding Space, Time and Causality: Modern Physics and Ancient Indian Tradition” (Routledge, 2019) . His collaborative research has also explored topics such as quantum ontology, consciousness, and the role of noise in living systems.
Throughout his career, Prof. Roy has held visiting positions at several international institutions, including George Mason University, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Linköping, Sweden . His interdisciplinary approach continues to bridge the gap between science and philosophy, contributing to a deeper understanding of consciousness and the human mind.