Alex Zhao

Alex Zhao is a cofounder of the Penn Society for Psychedelic Science (PSPS) and the Intercollegiate Psychedelics Network (IPN), and is currently a Mycelium member (Board of Directors) of IPN. In addition to his roles at PSPS and IPN, Alex recently joined the tech committee of MAPS Canada, and has previously worked with the Qualia Research Institute (QRI) on mathematically formalizing the study of consciousness. Alex is fascinated by neuroscience, physics, philosophy, information theory and above all the profound interconnectedness of everything. In particular, he is fascinated by non-ordinary states of consciousness, Karl Friston’s Free Energy Principle, and Dani Bassett’s recent work on energy landscapes. He hopes that through his work, he can contribute to the alleviation of involuntary suffering and co-create a more connected and blissful future. Alex holds a BAS and a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied Computer Science at the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Statistics and Business at The Wharton School.