Johnjoe McFadden
Summary
Johnjoe McFadden is an Irish-British molecular geneticist at the University of Surrey, known for two distinct research contributions: mainstream molecular-genetics research on Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other pathogens, and theoretical proposals on quantum effects in biology (with Jim Al-Khalili) and on the Conscious Electromagnetic Information (CEMI) field theory of consciousness.
Life
McFadden completed his PhD in molecular genetics and joined the University of Surrey, where he is Professor of Molecular Genetics. He has been Director of the Quantum Biology Doctoral Training Centre at Surrey, a leading UK research centre for the emerging field of quantum biology.
Key Contributions
CEMI field theory of consciousness
McFadden's 2002 Journal of Consciousness Studies paper proposes that consciousness is identical to the brain's collective electromagnetic field — specifically, the macroscopic EM field generated by synchronised neuronal firing.
The proposal addresses the binding problem (how spatially-distributed neural activity yields unified conscious experience) via the EM field's intrinsic spatial integration: a single coherent EM field naturally unifies the activity that produces it.
Specific predictions:
- Synchronous neuronal firing (gamma-band oscillations etc.) correlates with conscious experience because synchrony amplifies the macroscopic field contribution — partly supported by neural-oscillation / consciousness correlations.
- External EM fields at sufficient intensity should modulate consciousness — consistent with TMS, ECT, and (more weakly) Persinger-type weak-field findings.
- Anesthetic agents disrupt CEMI by disrupting synchrony — consistent with mainstream anesthesia electrophysiology.
CEMI is among the more rigorous of the "electromagnetic theories of consciousness" (a family that includes McFadden, Susan Pockett, and others).
Quantum biology
With Jim Al-Khalili, McFadden has been a leading advocate for the quantum biology research programme — the proposal that nontrivial quantum effects (coherence, tunnelling, entanglement) play causal roles in biological processes such as photosynthesis, enzyme catalysis, magnetoreception (bird navigation), and possibly olfaction.
The 2014 book Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology is the leading popular exposition of the field.
Mainstream molecular genetics
McFadden's primary publication record is in pathogen genetics — tuberculosis, meningitis — substantial mainstream contributions.
Reception
CEMI theory is one of several seriously-considered electromagnetic theories of consciousness; it has supporters and substantial critics. The quantum-biology programme that McFadden has helped establish is now a recognised mainstream research field with active groups worldwide.
In the psionic framework, McFadden is significant for:
- CEMI: directly proposes that conscious experience is identical to a measurable physical (EM) field — methodologically aligned with framework's view of ψ as a physical field.
- Quantum biology: establishes the empirical-research basis for nontrivial quantum effects in biology, a prerequisite for ψ-field coupling to biological substrates.
Bibliography
- McFadden, J. (2000). Quantum Evolution. HarperCollins.
- McFadden, J. (2002). "Synchronous firing and its influence on the brain's electromagnetic field: evidence for an electromagnetic field theory of consciousness." Journal of Consciousness Studies 9: 23-50.
- Al-Khalili, J., McFadden, J. (2014). Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology. Bantam.
See Also
- Roger_Penrose
- Stuart_Hameroff
- Anirban_Bandyopadhyay
- Electromagnetic_Theory_of_Consciousness
- Quantum_Biology
External Links
- Wikipedia: Johnjoe McFadden
- University of Surrey faculty profile.
References
- As above.
