About Me

I went off to Hampshire College, fully intending to study art and design (to this day I’m amazed my parents let me do that). Fairly quickly I decided that my professional interests lay elsewhere and changed my course of study to neuroscience, becoming fascinated by the question of how consciousness emerges from the brain.¹

After graduating, taking a look at the real world, and deciding that I wasn’t ready to be done with science just yet, I went on to the University of Cambridge, where I earned an MPhil in Clinical Neurosciences in the Cognition and Consciousness Imaging Group. There I worked on quantifying how the complexity of brain activity changes in different states of consciousness.

Finally, I earned dual PhDs in computational neuroscience and complex systems from Indiana University’s CNS-NRT program.

Having run out of degrees to get, I am now a postdoctoral scientist at the Vermont Complex Systems Institute at the University of Vermont, working on the mathematics of emergence and complexity in biological systems.

Research Interests

My work sits at the intersection of information theory, neuroscience, and complex systems. I’m particularly interested in:

• Emergence and synergy: When is a system more than the sum of its parts? I develop mathematical tools using multivariate information theory to quantify these phenomena.
• Consciousness and brain dynamics: How does the complexity of neural activity relate to different states of awareness, from deep sleep to psychedelic experiences?
• Living machines: Working with collaborators on xenobots and other synthetic biological systems that blur the line between organism and machine.

Beyond the Lab

Outside of research, I write essays exploring complexity, consciousness, and science for general audiences at my Substack newsletter, Synergies. I’m interested in how we make sense of—and communicate about—the intricate systems that surround and comprise us.

I also maintain an art practice in wheel-thrown ceramics and blown glass, exploring themes of pattern, repetition, and natural form.

Working Together

I’m always open to conversations about potential collaborations, whether academic research, science communication projects, or consulting on complex systems problems. Feel free to reach out via email at contact(at)thosvarley(dot)me.