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Global Catastrophic Risks Conference - Speakers Biographies

Dr Nick Bostrom , Nick Bostrom is Director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University. He previously taught in the Faculty of Philosophy and in the Institute for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. He has a background in Physics and computational neuroscience as well as Philosophy. Dr. Bostrom's research covers the foundations of probability theory, scientific methodology, risk analysis, and he is one of the world's leading experts on ethical issues related to human enhancement and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and nanotechnology. He has published some 100 papers and articles, including papers in Nature, Mind, Journal of Philosophy, Bioethics, Journal of Medical Ethics, Astrophysics & Space Science; one monograph, Anthropic Bias (Routledge, New York, 2002); and two edited volumes with Oxford University Press. One of his papers, written in 2001, introduced the concept of an existential risk. His writings have been translated into more than 14 languages. Bostrom has worked briefly as an expert consultant for the European Commission in Brussels and for the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington DC. He is also frequently consulted as a commentator by the media. Preprints of many of his papers can be found on his website.