Associate Professor Adrian Carter

Adrian is a leading figure in Neuroethics. He is an NHMRC Career Development Fellow and Director of Community Engagement and Neuroethics at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University.

He conducts interdisciplinary research on the impact of neuroscience on our understanding of the treatment of addiction, mental illness and neurological disorders. His group examines the implications of research on:
– notions of agency, identity and moral responsibility
– public and patient understanding of behaviour
– stigma and discrimination
– the use of coercion in the treatment of addiction and mental illness
– the use of emerging technologies (such as brain stimulation, brain imaging and digital mental health) in both therapeutic and non-therapeutic settings
– privacy, discrimination and the sharing of personal neural and behavioural digital data

He is also Director, Neuroethics Program at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Co-chair, Neuroethics and Responsible Research and Innovation Committee for the Australian Brain Alliance and sits on the Board of Directors for the International Neuroethics Society. Adrian has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation, OECD, EU, the Australian Government and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

He has over 160 publications and is author of the book Addiction Neuroethics: The Promises and Perils of Neuroscience Research on Addiction.

Why does consciousness research matter?

An understanding of consciousness, and the mechanisms that create our experience of the world and our place within it, is more important than ever before. Significant to our everyday lives, consciousness research has far reaching implications for: