Georg Northoff , MD, PhD, FRCPC

Dr. Georg Northoff is a philosopher, neuroscientist and psychiatrist, holding degrees in all three disciplines. Originally from Germany, he was recruited to head up the Mind, Brain, and Neuroethics Research Unit at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Northoff researches the relationship between the brain and mind in its various facets, focusing on the neural and biochemical mechanisms related to higher-order mental functions like consciousness and self in both healthy people and in those with such mental illnesses as depression and schizophrenia.  “The question driving me is: why and how can our brain construct subjective phenomena like self, consciousness, and emotions,” he said.

Dr. Northoff is one of the leading figures in linking philosophy and neuroscience and is the author of 260 journal articles and 15 books, including Neuro-philosophy and the Healthy Mind (2016, Norton Publishing, New York).

For more information about Dr. Northoff, click here.