Qualius Retreat Participants

Click on a team member to view their biography

Qualius Retreat Participants

Click on a team member to view their biography.

Qualius Retreat Participants

Click on a team member to view their biography

Click on a participant to view their biography.

Main Team Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4 Location Apply Deadline of 14th of May

Funded by

This event is made possible through the support of
the Qualia Research Institute

Organization Team

George Fejer | Lead organizer

George Fejer is a PhD candidate in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Konstanz and a coordinator for the ALIUS research network, specializing in altered states of consciousness. His research focuses on bioresponsive VR interfaces to study breathwork-induced consciousness shifts, particularly the extension of peripersonal space in altered states through the Viscereality project. With a Master’s in Cognitive Neuropsychology, he is currently conducting research at the Max Planck Institute for Brain & Cognitive Sciences, integrating neuroscience and psychology to explore the interplay between embodiment, virtual reality, and consciousness.

Zuri Maria Daiss | Head of Operations, Logistics & Festivities

Zuri Maria Daiß is a cultural curator, organizer, and strategist in music and the arts, active internationally across festivals, artist management, and public relations. With over 18 years of experience in cultural production, she has worked on experimental music and interdisciplinary projects, specializing in marketing, sponsorship, and strategic partnerships. She is the co-founder of ZURI & MARIA Agency, focusing on artist management, festival curation, and project conception, and has been a partner at Stars & Heroes Communications since 2010, leading international media campaigns for musicians and labels. Her curatorial work spans institutions such as HAU Hebbel am Ufer, the Norient Music Film Festival, and projects like The Only Good System Is a Sound System. A jury member for cultural funding programs, she has contributed to shaping contemporary artistic initiatives across various regions. While much of her work has been based in Europe, she has been involved in numerous international projects, including in Greece.

Timo Torsten Schmidt | Co-Organizer of the Subjective Experience Track

Dr. Timo Torsten Schmidt is a neuroscientist at Freie Universität Berlin, specializing in the neural mechanisms of human consciousness, mental imagery, and altered states. With a background in Cognitive Science, Medical Neuroscience, and Psychology, he has conducted research at institutions such as the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience and the Max Planck Institute. His work explores mental representations, tactile perception, and hallucinations using neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and EEG. He is a co-founder of the Collaboration for Interdisciplinary Research on Conscious Experience (CIRCE), which advances the scientific study of consciousness and altered states by providing high-quality reference datasets and best-practice measurement methods. An advocate for open and citizen science, he contributes to projects such as the Altered States Database, promoting interdisciplinary research in consciousness studies.

Cyril Costines | Co-Organizer of the Subjective Experience Track

Cyril Costines is a doctoral researcher at the University of Freiburg’s Faculty of Medicine and the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health (IGPP). His work focuses on consciousness studies, particularly altered states induced by meditation, psychedelics, and sensory attenuation. As a member of the Minimal Phenomenal Experience (MPE) Research Network, he contributes to theoretical and empirical investigations of consciousness, mapping phenomenal state-space and exploring the institutionalization of secular consciousness culture. With an interdisciplinary background in biology, psychology, and philosophy, he integrates neurophenomenology with empirical research to advance the understanding of self-awareness and altered experiences.

Stratos Bichakis | ​Production Assistant

Stratos Bichakis is a transdisciplinary artist. His work centers on experiential installations and performances that transform human senses through digital technologies. He develops artistic tools and instruments, to explore the emotional and transcendent possibilities of sound, light, motion and language. |    photo credit: Jamie Rosenberg

Pawel Motyka | Co-Organizer of  Virtual Reality Track

Dr. Paweł Motyka is a researcher in psychology specializing in consciousness studies, altered states of consciousness, and multisensory integration. He is currently affiliated with the Institute of Psychology at the Polish Academy of Sciences. His research explores the interplay between interoception and exteroception, time perception, and the role of bodily processes in conscious awareness. He has collaborated with institutions such as the University of Sussex and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. His recent work focuses on altered states of consciousness and cybernetic hallucinations in virtual reality, advancing our understanding of perception and conscious experience.

Keisuke Suzuki | Co-Organizer of  Virtual Reality Track

Keisuke Suzuki is a cognitive scientist specializing in embodied cognition and conscious presence. He obtained his Ph.D. in artificial life from the University of Tokyo in 2007 and conducted research on human cognition in virtual reality at RIKEN Brain Science Institute (2008–2011). He later joined the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex (2011–2021), where he developed VR-based experiments on self-consciousness. Since 2021, he has been a specially appointed lecturer at Hokkaido University’s CHAIN center. His research combines virtual reality, experimental manipulation of bodily and mental states, and theoretical modeling to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the subjective sense of presence.

Jonas Mago | Co-Organizer of Lived Experience Track

Jonas Mago is a cognitive neuroscientist exploring the neurobiological and cognitive mechanisms of human flourishing through contemplative practices, neurobiology, computational modeling, and phenomenology. He is pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience at McGill University under Dr. Michael Lifshitz and Prof. Dr. Karl Friston, building on a background in Mind, Language, and Embodied Cognition from the University of Edinburgh. Beyond academia, he has worked in neurotech and AI-driven projects and is a certified Unified Mindfulness Meditation Coach. His personal contemplative practice informs his research and teaching, bridging scientific inquiry with lived experience to support mental wellbeing and self-transformation.

Mar Estaralles | Co-Organizer of Lived Experience Track​​

Mar Estarellas is a PhD student in Intelligent, Integrated Imaging in Healthcare at University College London (UCL), with a background in neuroscience and a strong interest in the relationship between nature, health, and creativity. Her research explores how engagement with nature and artistic expression can support wellbeing and holistic health.  Through her interdisciplinary work, she integrates scientific inquiry with artistic practice, using painting as a means to explore existence beyond language.​ Through her interdisciplinary approach, she combines scientific inquiry with artistic practice to better understand the connections between mind, body, and environment.

Andres Gomez Emilson | ​Co-Organizer of the Qualia Research Track

Andrés Gómez Emilsson is a researcher in consciousness studies and the Director of Research at the Qualia Research Institute (QRI). With a background in Symbolic Systems and Computational Psychology from Stanford University, his work integrates neuroscience, philosophy, and artificial intelligence to explore the computational properties of consciousness. His research focuses on qualia mapping, the pleasure-pain axis, and psychedelic-induced alterations in consciousness, alongside developing neurotechnologies to study and influence subjective experience. He is known for contributions such as the Symmetry Theory of Valence and topological models of consciousness, advancing both theoretical and applied approaches to understanding subjective experience.

Qualia Research Institute | ​Co-Organizational Partner

The Qualia Research Institute (QRI) is a nonprofit organization based in Silicon Valley, dedicated to developing a mathematical framework for consciousness and understanding emotional valence—why experiences feel good or bad. Founded in 2018 by Andrés Gómez Emilsson, Mike Johnson, and Romeo Stevens, QRI employs a qualia formalist approach, treating subjective experiences as mathematical objects. Its key projects include the Symmetry Theory of Valence (STV), which links pleasure to mathematical symmetry, the Tracer Replication Tool for quantifying altered states, and collaborations with institutions like King’s College London and Imperial College London to study psychedelics and meditation. With a mission to enhance human well-being through neurotechnology and rigorous phenomenology, QRI bridges neuroscience, computational modeling, and philosophy to explore the structure of experience. ​As a funding partner, QRI is co-funding our workshop, supporting research on altered states of consciousness.

ALIUS Research Group | ​Co-Organizational Partner

The ALIUS Research Group is an international, interdisciplinary collective dedicated to the scientific study of consciousness and altered states of consciousness (ASCs). Founded in 2014, it brings together neuroscientists, psychologists, philosophers, psychiatrists, anthropologists, and computer scientists to explore the diversity of conscious experiences. ALIUS promotes a naturalistic and interdisciplinary approach, integrating ASCs into mainstream research while addressing methodological and theoretical challenges. Its activities include theoretical and experimental studies, the ALIUS Bulletin, and international workshops fostering collaboration among researchers. The group actively supports scientific dialogue and research dissemination, advancing a systematic understanding of ASCs.