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We are pleased to announce that Andrew Adamatzky—Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science and Creative Technologies at UWE Bristol and Director of the Unconventional Computing Laboratory—has been elected an Academician of the World Academy for Artificial Consciousness (WAAC), in recognition of his pioneering work in unconventional computing, slime mould/fungal computing, and reaction–diffusion computing, as well as his sustained exploration of and insightful contributions to the search for computational markers of consciousness.
Professor Adamatzky has long led UWE Bristol’s unconventional computing team, focusing on the computational principles, architectures, and prototype implementations of “non-silicon” substrates such as chemical media, slime moulds, plants, and fungi. In recent years, he has opened a new line of inquiry into fungal computing and fungal machines, revealing the electrical activity and information-processing potential of fungal mycelial networks and proposing a systematic framework for “Fungal Machines.” This body of work offers fresh clues toward comparable consciousness indicators and interpretable computational mechanisms in natural systems, and provides methodological inspiration for verifiable evaluation in neuromorphic intelligence and brain–computer interfaces.
- Global Collaboration and Academic Ecosystem
The Academicians of WAAC come from universities and research institutions such as Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge, the University of California, the French Academy of Sciences, the University of Padua, the University of Queensland, Columbia University, and the University of Exeter, among others. Honorary Academicians represent multiple countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Spain, and China. Additionally, leading scientists from renowned research institutions and technology companies—such as Google, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and Zeekr—are also involved.
- About WAAC
The World Academy for Artificial Consciousness (https://www.waac.ac/) is a global academic institution established in Paris in 2025. Its mission is to advance frontier research and international collaboration in artificial consciousness through the integration of science, technology, and philosophy. The Academy publishes open research, policy recommendations, evaluation standards, and more. The current President is Academician Yucong Duan, and the Secretary-General is Dr. Yingbo Li. The Honorary Academician List: On May 3, 2025, WAAC released its first batch of Top 100 Honorary Academicians, recognizing scholars who have made foundational or leading contributions to the theory of artificial consciousness.