Steve Fleming Keynote Speaker
- Neuroscientist and Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London
- World-leading expert on the science of self-awareness and “metacognition”
- Author of "Know Thyself: The New Science of Self-Awareness" (2021)
Steve Fleming's Biography
Steve Fleming is a world-renowned psychologist and neuroscientist based at University College London.
He is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL’s Department of Experimental Psychology, Group Leader at the Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry, and Principal Investigator at the Department of Imaging Neuroscience, where he leads the Metacognition Group. He holds degrees in Psychology and Physiology (BA Hons, University of Oxford) and Cognitive Neuroscience (PhD, UCL), and subsequently pursued postdoctoral training at New York University.
Steve is recognised as a world-leading expert on the science of self-awareness and “metacognition” – how we reflect on and think about ourselves. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, and his research has been recognised by awards including the British Academy Wiley Prize in Psychology (2016), the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Psychology (2018), the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal (2019), and election as a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (2023). He has a long-standing interest in the potential for consciousness and metacognition in AI systems, and in 2023 received a major European Research Council grant “ConsciousComputation” to develop computational accounts of human conscious experience.
In 2024 he was awarded the Francis Crick Medal and Lecture by the Royal Society for tackling foundational questions about the neurobiology of conscious experience, and advancing our understanding of the neural and computational basis of metacognition.
Steve has conducted wide-ranging explorations of the role of self-awareness in politics, climate change, leadership, decision-making and education. He has delivered training courses and lectures on the science of self-awareness to blue-chip companies including Slaughter and May.
His 2021 book Know Thyself: The New Science of Self-Awareness has been translated into 7 languages and was featured in the Financial Times, The New Yorker and on the cover of New Scientist magazine. He has featured in high-profile podcasts (including Sam Harris’ Making Sense) and has written articles for New Scientist, Scientific American, Financial Times and Aeon, among other outlets.
Steve Fleming's Speaking Topics
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The new science of self-awareness:
Self-awareness is humans' greatest superpower. Like the conductor of an orchestra, self-awareness guides the musicians of the mind - memory, creativity, intelligence and skill - to perform at their best. So why does it often fail? Drawing on his own pioneering studies, as well as cutting-edge research in computer science, psychology and evolutionary biology, Steve shows how we can learn from this groundbreaking new science of metacognition, and gain the edge in a rapidly changing world.
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Being wise in a world of misinformation:
A critical skill for modern life is being aware of what we do not know, as well as what we do. Steve reveals how the science of metacognition helps us avoid overconfidence, combat polarisation, promote collaboration and provide a foundation for wisdom in modern life.
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Why metacognition is the hidden secret of success:
Our education systems and hiring processes often focus on skills and knowledge. But in a rapidly changing world, knowing how to think and learn is becoming just as important as how much we learn. Steve shows how cultivating metacognition provides the tools for "learning to learn"- creating a agile workforce for the 21st century.
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Reality and imagination:
When we experience the world around us, we use the same neural machinery as when we are simply imagining our surroundings. How, then, do we keep imagination and reality apart? Steve shares his groundbreaking findings on the science of knowing what is real - exploring hallucinations, false memories, and mind-bending stories about the nature of reality and conscious experience. This new science shows us not only how to maintain a grip on reality in an era of the metaverse, but also may allow us to create (or prevent) conscious machines.
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