This October, the world’s leading thinkers on the nature of mind will gather on the shores of San Diego’s Mission Bay — and the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) will be right at the center of the conversation. IONS is proud to join The Science of Consciousness 2026 (TSC 2026) as a gold sponsor, and to help shape a landmark week of rigorous, open inquiry into one of science’s deepest unanswered questions: how does subjective experience arise?
The world’s longest-running consciousness conference
Established in 1994, The Science of Consciousness is the world’s longest-running interdisciplinary conference devoted to the study of mind. For three decades it has convened neuroscientists, philosophers, physicists, and technologists — alongside clinicians, contemplatives, and curious newcomers — to confront the hardest questions about experience and reality, and to stress-test bold hypotheses against new data.
The 2026 meeting runs October 11–16 at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego. Its program spans the full landscape of the field: the enduring “hard problem” of consciousness and the leading frameworks that attempt to address it — panpsychism, illusionism, higher-order theories, and integrated information theory; the emerging science of quantum biology and consciousness at the smallest scales; and the boundaries of sentience itself — where conscious experience begins and ends across living, and perhaps even non-living, systems. What unites these threads is a commitment to open inquiry: a place where careful evidence and bold ideas are equally welcome.
Shared goals and culture
For more than five decades — since its founding in 1973 by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell — IONS has championed rigorous, open investigation into consciousness and non-local phenomena. TSC 2026 advances this goal. The alignment is not merely thematic; it is a shared scientific culture that takes seriously the questions others set aside, while holding to the standards of methodological rigor, replication, and peer review.
That shared culture is reflected in the leadership of the conference itself. IONS President Thomas Brophy and IONS Scientist Arnaud Delorme serve as conference co-chairs, helping to establish TSC’s new San Diego home. Their involvement signals more than sponsorship — it reflects a genuine partnership in building a durable scientific gathering for the field.
IONS scientists and fellows come together
Attendees will find IONS researchers across every part of the program:
- Arnaud Delorme, IONS Scientist and conference co-chair, across the plenary, workshop, concurrent, and hackathon tracks
- Thomas Brophy, President and conference co-chair
- Dean Radin, Chief Scientist, on the plenary stage and in the workshop
- Helané Wahbeh, Director of Research, on the plenary stage and in the workshop
- Claudia Welss, Board Chair
- Science-team members Sitara Tadeo and Erik Brinsmead
- IONS Fellows Cassandra Vieten, Marilyn Schlitz, and Cedric Cannard
Together they carry IONS research into the heart of the interdisciplinary conversation — from formal plenary talks to hands-on concurrent sessions and a collaborative hackathon.
An invitation to the IONS community
The people who care most about noetic and non-local phenomena — scientists, clinicians, contemplatives, and supporters — are precisely the community TSC 2026 was built for. Our IONS community is warmly invited to join us for a week of discovery, debate, and connection.
As a gold sponsor, IONS is pleased to offer our community a registration discount: enter the code NOETIC50 in the ID CODE field at registration for $50 off. As a special gift to IONS members, use the discount code emailed to you for $100 off.
Consciousness remains one of the most profound frontiers in science. Join us in San Diego or via livestream. We look forward to coming together, October 11–16, 2026.
Learn More & Register for TSC 2026
