Angela Thornton

PhD candidate at University of Nottingham exploring the personal and public narrative around the hypothetical journey to Whole Brain Emulation and the ultimate creation of a Substrate Independent Mind

I gained my first degree (BSc Psychology) over 30 years ago and have had a long and successful career in commercial market research. My interests and experience span a range of sectors since I have conducted research with both consumers and businesses. I have considerable experience in healthcare, but I also have worked in partnership with creative agencies on branding and communications and have a strong personal interest in arts and culture.

In 2018 I fulfilled a long-held dream of returning to academia and completed a MSc in Psychological Research Methods at the University of Nottingham (UoN) where I gained a distinction. I chose this course as a stepping stone to a fully funded PhD at Horizon Centre of Doctoral Training – also based at the UoN – and started my PhD journey in 2019. My thesis looks to explore the personal and public narrative around the hypothetical journey to Whole Brain Emulation and the ultimate creation of a Substrate Independent Mind.

I am delighted to be part of the Carboncopies team and look forward to working towards a shared vision of bringing the science to a concept that for many emerged from science fiction.