Bhuvanesh Awasthi, PhD
Turning scientific discoveries about the mind and behaviour into actionable interventions
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What is Consciousness? How does the mind work? What is its relationship with the body (specifically, the brain)? How do we think, feel and make decisions?
What is Consciousness? How does the mind work? What is its relationship with the body (specifically, the brain)? How do we think, feel and make decisions?
The nature of human experience has fascinated philosophers and scientists across the historical record. The mental experience is central to what makes us human.
The nature of human experience has fascinated philosophers and scientists across the historical record. The mental experience is central to what makes us human.
What do we do with the emerging knowledge related to the mind-body-brain relationship? How can cognitive neuroscience guide us in improving and enriching our lives?
What do we do with the emerging knowledge related to the mind-body-brain relationship? How can cognitive neuroscience guide us in improving and enriching our lives?
Dr Bhuvanesh Awasthi 'Bhuvan' is a transdisciplinary leader in the science-policy-diplomacy space, currently working as a Behavioural Scientist with the Canadian Federal Government in Ottawa.
Over the last two decades, he has had a contemplative journey spanning through research in cognition, consciousness and brain imaging to Public policy and science diplomacy.
He has been a MITACS - Canadian Science Policy fellow as well as an Inter American Institute (IAI) -Science Technology and Policy (STeP) fellow. The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is an intergovernmental organisation supported by 19 countries in the Americas. Through these interfaces, Dr Awasthi is applying cognitive, behavioural and neuroscience research for design and implementation of evidence-informed policy interventions across North America, Latin America and the Caribbean region. His current interests are in science-diplomacy contexts to facilitate consensus building, conflict resolution and address transnational global change issues.
Dr Awasthi has worked across North America (USA, Canada), South America (Uruguay), Europe (UK, Denmark, Russia), Asia (China, India) and Australia with various organisations, applying the science of cognition, brain and behaviour in academic, business and public policy contexts. His ongoing and past projects have provided research, advice and inputs at the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab, OECD- International Network on Financial Education (Paris), the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), the Government of Canada (Financial Consumer Agency of Canada; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada), Government of Denmark (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration) and Government of India (NIPFP, LBSNAA, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser) as well as on projects with the national science agencies of USA (NIH), France (CNRS) and Australia (CSIRO).
He has been invited to present his research to a variety of audience (Scientists, Economists, Policy Experts, Government Officials, Psychotherapists, Students and Parents) across North America (Harvard, UW-Madison, UCLA, SfN San Diego, Government of Canada), South America (Montevideo, Uruguay), UK (Glasgow, the Royal Society, London), Europe (Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Paris, Leuven, Warsaw, Brno, Moscow), Middle East (Beirut, Dubai), India (IITs, IIM, IISc, IISER, NIPFP, Pune), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) and China (Beijing, Shanghai).
Dr Awasthi has received numerous scholarships, grants, awards and fellowships from several academic, government and non-profit partners across five continents. He has delivered invited talks across the globe - for scientists, subject matter experts, government and policy professionals, University and school students as well as lay audience. His outreach was recognised by a ‘Neuroscientist of the year’ award in Australia. His early training was in Life Sciences from the University of Pune, a Consciousness Studies Masters from BITS Pilani and a Cognitive Science PhD from Sydney, Australia.
Science is a social activity and has many direct and indirect applications. My research on social perception and risky decision making has direct implications for personal well-being, policy and business.
Science is a social activity and has many direct and indirect applications. My research on social perception and risky decision making has direct implications for personal well-being, policy and business.
How does human psychology shape individual decisions and market outcomes? At the heart of any new intervention is facilitating a new mindset or behaviour. I apply findings from the neuroscience of emotion and perception - behavioural insights - to solve real world problems.
I use a variety of subjective and objective measures, in particular self-reports, behavioural and brain measurements to conduct research on perception, emotion, consciousness and decision making.
I use a variety of subjective and objective measures, in particular self-reports, behavioural and brain measurements to conduct research on perception, emotion, consciousness and decision making.
My academic genealogy, peer-reviewed publications, academic and consulting profile details are available on these sites
In addition to experimental and applied research, I am also passionate about public outreach and dissemination. I was awarded the 'Neuroscientist of the year' prize for outreach activities in Sydney, Australia.
In addition to experimental and applied research, I am also passionate about public outreach and dissemination. I was awarded the 'Neuroscientist of the year' prize for outreach activities in Sydney, Australia.
I have been invited to present my work globally, at various fora of inquiry and discussion. Here is a list of select venues:
2025
Memory in the body, mind and society - looking at memory through Science and Spirituality. Deshantari, Ottawa ON, Canada
Truth as a Way of Life – Living Authentically in a Complex World. Gandhi's Legacy talks and community dialogue. Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada
2024
Listening to the body mind. Service Policy Insights and Digital channel Branch, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Government of Canada, Ottawa ON, Canada
Community is immunity is community: building community by listening to the body. TED Talk at the Professional Development Network, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Government of Canada, Ottawa ON, Canada
From cognitive science to science diplomacy via contemplative steps - my journey. STeP Leadership Conference- consensus and inclusion for informed decision making, Antigua, Guatemala.
Why meditation is simple, but not easy, for most people? Service Policy Insights and Digital channel Branch, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Government of Canada, Ottawa ON, Canada
Science of Emotions and Emotional Intelligence. Somatic Meditation & Consciousness Training Program. Ottawa ON, Canada.
Hindu Philosophy and Practices in the Modern world. Canadian Indo-Caribbean Organization of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada.
What does Freedom really mean? Freedom from the known, thoughts and beliefs! - a Neuroscience perspective. Finding Freedom Podcast. Ottawa ON, Canada
Relevance and Status of Bhartiya Culture in Multicultural Canada. Maha Bharatotsav - The Great India Festival, Ottawa ON, Canada
Reflections and Action for Inner Peace - perspectives from Neuroscience and Contemplative traditions. Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada
A Pan-American Science Diplomacy Framework on AI for Climate Change. Lancet Countdown Latin America and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Universidad del Valle, Guatemala
Introduction to Science Diplomacy. Science Policy and Advocacy at Rutgers (SPAR). Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA
Why is it so hard to meditate? Lessons from research on brain and meditation. Service Insights and Experimentation, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Government of Canada, Ottawa ON, Canada
The Science and Art of Pleasure - perspectives from Neuroscience and Contemplative traditions. Greenboro Community Centre, ICCC Active Brainstorm Series Program, Ottawa ON, Canada
2023
What does research on meditation tell us about our minds? ICCC Active Brainstorm Series Program, Ottawa ON, Canada
How do we see the world - perspectives from Advait Vedanta and Neuroscience. Sanskriti Darpan - The Great India Festival, Ottawa ON, Canada
Yoga, its Philosophy and Hindu origin. Canadian Indo-Caribbean Organisation of Ottawa, ON Canada
Understanding our body and mind for health, happiness, and harmony. Spiritual Heritage Education Network (SHEN), Ontario, Canada
India's cultural contribution to the world. Maha Bharatotsav - The Great India Festival, Ottawa ON, Canada
Consciousness and the Brain. Skype-a-Scientist session for Elwood Jr/Sr High School, Elwood IN, USA.
Emotions - what are they and what to do with them? Soma meditation forum, Hamilton ON, Canada.
Brain and Behaviour. Skype-a-Scientist session for Elwood Community College, Elwood IN, USA.
Behaviourally informed solutions for addressing plastic pollution across the Americas. Science Technology and Policy (STeP) Science Diplomacy Forum, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Human search for pleasure and well-being - potentials and limitations through the lens of neurobiology and contemplation. Human Potential Project, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Behavioural Insights for Public Policy. Flame University, Pune, India.
2022
Neuroscience - relevance and lessons for (science) diplomacy? Behaviourally-aligned, culturally-informed, equity-rooted science-policy approaches. Science Diplomacy Applied to Neuroscience for the Global South, The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)-PEDECIBA Postgraduate Hybrid Course, Montevideo, Uruguay.
The mystery of visual experience - the role of our brain. Skype-a-scientist session for the Valley School, Seattle, USA.
Behavioural insights in science diplomacy for consensus building. Transdisciplinary Leadership Workshop on Science Diplomacy. The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), Punta del Este and Montevideo, Uruguay.
Behavioural insights into inclusive financial mechanisms for supporting sustainable growth and resilience. Sustainability Research and Innovation (SRI) Congress, Pretoria, South Africa.
Cognitive and Neuroscience lessons for effective Science Communication. KAARYASHALA- International Workshop on Science Communication and Film-making. CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR) and Vigyan Prasar (VP), Lucknow, India.
2021
Neuroplasticity-enabled Neuro-Technology solutions for human health and well-being. Neurotech Planet International Conference, Porto, Portugal.
Studying the Brain to Understand the Mind, Invited Speaker and Mentor for the Synaptic Hacks 2021, New York, USA.
The Mystery of Visual Experience - the Role of Our Brain. Skype-a-Scientist session for Pragati School students, Ahmedabad, India.
Cognitive Training Solutions for Neurodiverse populations, Orange Neurosciences, Canada.
Science of Learning and its Educational Implications. Invited session for Staff and Secondary Students at EON Gyanankur English School, Pune, India.
How do we see the world - Neuroscience of Visual Perception, Skype-a-Scientist session for Jaihind College students, Mumbai, India.
Science of Reading and Reading Disabilities, Orange Neurosciences, Canada.
2020
hobBITS of the Mind: Neuroscience - the final frontier. Invited session at the BITSAA Global Meet 2020, Goa, India.
Behavioural Insights and Nudges for Public Administration, NITI Aayog, New Delhi, India.
How do we see? Neuroscience of Visual Perception, Skype-a-Scientist session for Gateway College students, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Inter Departmental Research Project- Science of Intelligence, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, India.
Behavioural Insights for Business Development, Mini-workshop on Neuroscience of Decision Making and Neuro-marketing, Pune, India.
Neuroimaging and Artificial Intelligence, Skype-a-Scientist session for Class X students, Mumbai, India.
Human Communities and the Environment, Invited UG-teaching session at the Chinmaya Naada Bindu, Chinmaya University, Pune, India.
2019
Human perceptual system and behaviour- relevance for safety. Institute for Energy Technology, OECD Halden Reactor Project, Halden, Norway.
Neuro Research Design. Invited teaching session at the Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Carlsberg Conference on 'Developing a theory on how brains work" Carlsberg Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Public perception of food control system in Denmark. Invited talk and interaction at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (foedevarestyrelsen) Glostrup, Government of Denmark, Denmark.
Public perception of food control systems in Denmark and China. Invited talk at the 2nd Annual Conference of the Nordic-Chinese Forum for International Economic Law, iCourts - Centre of Excellence for International Courts, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Consumer evaluation of food safety in Denmark. Invited talk at the One Health Course, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Cognitive and behavioural science of visual perception. Invited talk at the Department of Psychology, Ashoka University, India.
Cognitive Neuroscience of Face perception. Invited talk at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Copenhagen, Denmark.
2018
Invited teaching sessions in Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Invited talk at the Consumer Research Meeting, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Invited talk at the School of Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Invited interaction talk at the Department of Psychology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Invited talk at the School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Invited talk at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Invited teaching session at the Department of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Invited talk at the Department of Psychology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Invited talk at the Food safety group, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Invited (online) talk at the Indian Institute of Management Udaipur, India.
Public talk and discussion forum on Brain, Mind and Consciousness, at the Loft Forum, Pune, India.
Science talk and discussion forum for school students of classes 8-9, Sri Sai EM School, CTM Madanapalle, AP, India.
Cognitive Neuroscience of Visual Perception. Invited talk at the Flame University, Pune, India.
Invited talk at the Chinmaya Eswar Gurukula, Chinmaya University, India.
Invited talk at the Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.
Invited talk at the Indian Institute Technology, Kanpur, India.
2017
Is there a Science of Consciousness? Invited talk at the Pune International Centre, Pune, India.
Do low-level visual processes modulate the perception of high-level stimulus categories? Behavioral and neuromodulation investigations. Invited talk at the Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Belgium.
Invited interaction talk at the Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
Invited interaction session at the Institute of Research in Psychology, Universite' Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgium.
Behavioural insights for policy interventions: exploring the how and why? Invited talk at The National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), New Delhi, India.
The Science of Empathy and Ethics: Behavioural insights for public administration. Invited seminar at JnanaPrabodhini, Pune, India.
Do we see the world as it is? The Science of Perception. Invited seminar at the Seed Infotech Private limited, Pune, India.
Invited presentation talk at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, India.
Invited talk at the Department of Psychology, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
Invited presentation talk at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India.
Invited presentation talk at the National Institute of Ophthalmology, Pune, India.
Invited speaker (on Neurotechnologies of perception, emotion and decision neuroscience) and panelist at the BITSAA Global Meet 2017, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
2016
Invited discussant at the Early career researcher conference on the 'Future of Science', The Royal Society, London, United Kingdom.
Invited presentation talk at the Neural Oscillations Group, the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Invited poster presentation at the Gordon Research Conference: Neurobiology of Cognition, Newry ME, United States.
Invited presentation talk at The Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Invited presentation talk at the Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Shivajinagar, Pune, India.
Science talk and discussion forum on neuroscience of visual perception for school students of classes 7- 11, Satsang School and Peepal Grove School, Madanapalle/Chittoor, AP, India.
Invited presentation talk at The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India.
Invited public talk at The Madanapalle Institute of Technology and Science (MITS), Madanapalle, India.
2015
Invited presentation talk on Social perception. The Mudra Institute of Communication (MICA)- The School of Ideas, Ahmedabad, India.
Poster presentation at Neuroeconomics: Decision Making and the Brain: Society for Neuroeconomics 2015 Annual meeting, Miami, FL, USA.
Poster presentation at The 3rd Conference, Cognitive Science in Moscow - New Research, Moscow, Russia.
Invited presentation talk at The Center for Cognition and Decision making, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.
2014
Invited presentation talk at The National Magnetoencephalography facility (NatMEG), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Invited poster presentation at the Gordon Research Conference: Neurobiology of Cognition, Newry ME, United States.
Invited presentation talk at The Industrial Design Centre (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Mumbai, India.
Invited presentation talk at The Department of Physiology, Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College, Pune, India.
Invited presentation talk at The Cognitive Science Group, Indian Institute of Technology (IITGn), Gandhinagar, India.
Invited presentation talk at The Department of Psychiatry, Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College, Pune, India.
Invited presentation talk on Epigenomic Inheritance patterns at The Department of Zoology, Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Shivajinagar, Pune, India.
How do we ‘see’ -- Science of face, object and body perception. Invited presentation talk at The Department of Psychology, Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Shivajinagar, University of Pune, India.
2013
Invited presentation talk Neuroscience of visual perception at The Science Association, Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Shivajinagar, University of Pune, India.
Invited presentation talk at Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College & Research Centre, Pimpri, University of Pune, India.
2012
Emotions: brain, body and environment: Public talk and discussion forum, Sydney Psychology and Social Sciences Group, Paddington RSL, Paddington, NSW, Australia.
How do we learn: neuroscience of learning: Public talk and discussion forum, Sydney Psychology and Social Sciences Group, Paddington RSL, Paddington, NSW, Australia.
Neuroscience of consciousness: biology and beyond: Public talk and discussion forum, Sydney Psychology and Social Sciences Group, Paddington RSL, Paddington, NSW, Australia.
How do we ‘see’ this world -- neuroscience of visual perception: Public talk and discussion forum, Sydney Psychology and Social Sciences Group, Paddington RSL, Paddington, NSW, Australia.
2010
Invited presentation at the Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Invited presentation at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California Los Angeles, USA.
Invited visit to the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience at the University of California San Diego, USA.
Invited Presentation talk on the role of body in emotion elicitation at the International Conference on Recent Advances in Cognitive Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Invited talk at the Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (LSCP), Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
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