ASSC16: 16th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness

ASSC16 is the 16th annual meeting of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness.  It will take place in Brighton, UK, from July 02-06, 2012. The 4 day meeting (plus 1 day of tutorial sessions) brings together leading researchers in neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, philosophy, psychiatry, neurology,  and computer science in a forum dedicated to showcasing and advancing rigorous scientific approaches to understanding the nature, function, and underlying mechanisms of conscious experience. Attendees are drawn from researchers, clinicians, students at all levels, as well as the interested media and public.  (Please note that ASSC16 does not clash with London olympics!)

ASSC16 will be organized by the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex (www.sussex.ac.uk/sackler).  Brighton, affectionately known as ‘London by the sea’ is a popular international conference destination.  It is only 49 minutes by train from central London and just 30 minutes from Gatwick International Airport (LGW; there are also easy transport links from Heathrow).  Brighton is a small city with conference facilities, hotels, restaurants, pubs, transport links, and the beach all within easy walking distance. ASSC16 is will be held in the superb Dome and Corn Exchange theatre complex, in the heart of Brighton’s artistic & cultural quarter (http://www.brightondome.org/).  Provisional registration fees are now shown at  http://www.theassc.org/assc16_registration. 
Keynote speakers: Victor Lamme (University of Amsterdam, President) Josef Perner (University of Salzburg) Geriant Rees (University College London) Tania Singer (Max Planck Institute, Leipzig) Tim Bayne (University of Oxford) Christof Koch (Caltech, Special Lecture)
Plenary symposia:

1. Consciousness fading: key mechanisms of anaesthesia-induced loss-of-consciousness - Andreas Engel (Chair), Gernott Supp, Melanie Boly, Emery Brown
2. Bringing the in-depth body to the surface: Interoception, awareness, and prediction - Manos Tsakiris (Chair), Hugo Critchley, Jim Hopkins
3. Perceptual consciousness and cognitive access - Ned Block (Chair), Ilja Sligte, Jerome Sackur, James Stazicker
4. Balancing the self: Vestibular contributions to self-consciousness - Christophe Lopez (Chair), Bigna Lenggenhager, Gabriela Bottini

1. Heather Berlin, Nicholas Medford: The phenomenology, neurobiology, and neurocognitive basis of depersonalization
2. Sue Blackmore: Meditation and consciousness: Two ways meditation can contribute to consciousness science
3. Olaf Blanke, Thomas Metzinger: Towards a comprehensive theory of subjectivity and selfhood: Philosophy, cognitive science, neurology, and neuroimaging
4. Axel Cleeremans, Morten Overgaard, Bert Timmermans, Ryan Scott: Behavioural methods to assess awareness
5. Gustav Kuhn, Ronald Rensink: The science of magic: Turning magic into science!
6. James Laban, Harutomo Hasegawa, Keyoumars Ashkan: Neurosurgery and its role in studying consciousness
7. Devin Terhune: A primer on experimental hypnosis research
8. Jamie Ward: Sensory substitution