IIT-related
News 

We are looking for two postdocs to join the IIT Theory Group of the Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness. 

The current research focus is to develop IIT as a comprehensive intrinsic scientific ontology. Building on IIT’s consciousness-first approach, we will explore a unified account of what exists that can encompass both experience and the natural world.

This work will also feed into Part III of the IIT Wiki, which will present the intrinsic ontology in a clear and accessible way through explanations, FAQs, tutorials, and related public-facing outputs.

This project has two branches: 

• Computational branch: develop formal and computational models of IIT’s intrinsic ontology, using minimal models and PyPhi to analyze cause–effect structures, intrinsic vs. extrinsic entities, abstract concepts, values, purposes, and actual causation. This contributes to the project’s greater aims by making the intrinsic ontology mathematically rigorous and publicly accessible through open-source examples and Google Colabs.

• Philosophical branch: develop the conceptual foundations of IIT’s intrinsic ontology, focusing on intrinsic and extrinsic existence, meaning, values, purposes, free will, responsibility, and actual causation (introduced in Tononi et al. 2022, Tononi & Boly 2025), while bringing IIT into dialogue with philosophy of mind, metaphysics, moral philosophy, and spiritual or humanist traditions. This contributes to the project’s broader aim of challenging the dominant extrinsic ontology of science and developing a rigorous framework in which human experience has genuine ontological and causal status.

The new postdocs will work closely with Prof. Giulio Tononi and members of the IIT Theory Group (Dr. Matteo Grasso, Jeremiah Hendren, Dr. Will Mayner, among others). 

Position Requirements: PhD in computational neuroscience, computer science, philosophy, or areas related to consciousness science.

Preferred skills: Python programming, familiarity with neural networks and agentic AI, philosophical reasoning/writing, podcast production.

Expertise: Familiarity with consciousness science methods and frameworks, and/or philosophy of mind.

Position Duties: 

• Develop conceptual and formal analyses using methods from computational neuroscience and philosophy.

• Assist with research on actual causation, free will, responsibility, and self-changing actions within the framework of IIT.

• Draft, revise, and submit scholarly manuscripts and related non-academic research outputs based on the project’s aims.

• Contribute to Part III of the IIT Wiki by preparing clear, accessible explanations, examples, FAQs, and related materials on the intrinsic ontology.

• Present project-related work at conferences, participate in project meetings, and assist with the project’s annual summer school, conference, podcast, and broader dissemination goals.

Salary: $65,000 (full time)

Duration: up to three years, renewable yearly

Application Instructions: Please send a Cover Letter, CV, and 2 letters of reference to Dr. Matteo Grasso (grasso2@wisc.edu)

Start Date: ASAP

Location: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison WI (USA)

Check out the new paper responding to the "IIT is pseudoscience" letter: 

Tononi, G., Albantakis, L., Barbosa, L. et al. Consciousness or pseudo-consciousness? A clash of two paradigms. Nat Neurosci (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-01880-y

Abstract:
"Integrated information theory (IIT) starts from consciousness, which is subjective, and accounts for its presence and quality in objective, testable terms. Attempts to label as ‘pseudoscientific’ a theory distinguished by decades of conceptual, mathematical, and empirical developments expose a crisis in the dominant computational-functionalist paradigm, which is challenged by IIT’s consciousness-first paradigm."

Deadline of application: Mar 14, 2025 

The QStr (Qualia Structure) – IIT (Integrated Information Theory) Summer School offers an exciting opportunity for students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty scholars from around the world to explore the intersection of qualitative aspects of consciousness (or qualia) and scientific objectivity. This event is scheduled to take place in Venice and Bertinoro, Italy from October 5 to 17, 2025. 

Here is the link to the overview homepage, where you can apply: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hFmabi5KJQRfocvwhXAehIkwFxrCp_Touxp9-Sn5sh4/edit?tab=t.0