We are pleased to announce that Professor Risto J. Ilmoniemi—Chair Professor (Emeritus) of Applied Physics and Senior Advisor in the Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering (NBE) at Aalto University—has been elected an Academician of WAAC (World Academy for Artificial Consciousness), in recognition of his contributions to the continuum from technology to cortical excitability to consciousness.
Over the years, Professor Ilmoniemi has developed a research program centered on “technology–cortical excitability–consciousness,” building a chain of evidence from methods to applications: in 1997, NeuroReport first showed that TMS–EEG can quantify cortical reactivity and effective connectivity; in 2018/2022, he proposed and realized multi-locus/multi-coil TMS (mTMS), enabling electronic targeting and rapid site switching; he leads the ERC Synergy project ConnectToBrain (2019–2026), advancing a closed-loop, multi-locus TMS platform; and he founded Nexstim to drive the industrialization of navigated TMS and TMS–EEG. These advances have made it possible to assess different levels of consciousness by pairing exogenous TMS perturbation with EEG/MEG readouts, wherein the Perturbational Complexity Index (PCI) shows a marked reduction in cortical response complexity during unconsciousness and a rebound upon awakening.
- Global Collaboration and Academic Ecosystem
Academicians of the World Academy for Artificial Consciousness hail from 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. Honorary Academicians come from a wide range of countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Spain, and China. In addition, leading scientists from prominent research institutes and technology companies—such as Google, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and ZEEKR—also participate.
- 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.