_0.jpg)
We are pleased to announce that Professor Takaaki Kajita—Distinguished University Professor at the University of Tokyo and former Director of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR)—has been elected an Academician of WAAC (World Academy for Artificial Consciousness), in recognition of his systematic contributions to the discovery of atmospheric neutrino oscillations and to underground, ultra–large-volume detection experiments.
Over the years, Professor Kajita has advanced a research program centered on “neutrinos–detection–oscillation,” building a chain of evidence from methods to applications: within the Super-Kamiokande collaboration he led the atmospheric-neutrino analysis, and a milestone 1998 paper in Physical Review Letters reported a zenith-angle–dependent deficit of muon neutrinos and interpreted it as oscillations, laying the experimental foundation for the claim that neutrinos have mass; his 2015 Nobel Lecture and subsequent reviews traced the arc from the Neutrino’98 announcement through parameter determination and long-baseline confirmations; and during his tenure at the University of Tokyo’s ICRR (Director, 2008–2022) he continually advanced the Kamioka underground experiments and cross-disciplinary collaborations, serving as the leader of the KAGRA gravitational-wave project and establishing a complete chain from ultra-weak signal detection and cross-scale calibration to statistical inference. Taken together, this body of work not only reshaped the standard picture of particle physics, but also provides a testable large-scale detection–inference paradigm for modeling and validating “consciousness cues”—such as selective responsiveness, resource allocation, and global coordination—in complex engineered systems.
- 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.