David Chalmers Keynote Speaker

David Chalmers is one of the world’s most influential philosophers of mind, known for sharpening the modern debate on consciousness and what it means to be a thinking being. University Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University, he brings rare clarity to questions that sit at the frontier of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and human experience.

Chalmers is widely credited with articulating the “hard problem” of consciousness — the challenge of explaining why and how subjective experience arises from physical systems. His landmark book The Conscious Mind (1996) helped define the field, and his work continues to shape research through rigorous argument, memorable thought experiments and a deep respect for scientific progress.

At NYU, Chalmers has served as co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness since 2012, advancing an interdisciplinary agenda spanning philosophy, psychology and neuroscience. He led the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University (2004–2014) and is an Honorary Professor of Philosophy at ANU.

Beyond academia, he co-directs the PhilPapers Foundation, helping maintain one of the discipline’s most widely used research platforms. A Rhodes Scholar (1987), he has been elected to the Australian Academy of the Humanities (2006) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2013).

For audiences, Chalmers turns big ideas into practical intellectual tools: how to think clearly under uncertainty, how to ask better questions about technology, and how to lead responsibly as AI systems become more capable. His keynotes are thoughtful, accessible and globally relevant — built to spark insight and elevate decision-making.