TRACE Research Institute
We are mathematicians, physicists, philosophers, and consciousness scientists united by a single conviction: that consciousness, not spacetime, is fundamental. Rigorous proof, not metaphor.
Co-Founder
Operational Leader & Research Development
Gaspard co-founded TRACE to build the infrastructure a paradigm-shifting theory requires — research community, digital platform, and institutional foundation. He leads operations and research development alongside Donald Hoffman, translating visionary mathematics into a working institute. His work ensures that Trace Logic moves from conjecture to canon: rigorously documented, publicly accessible, and structurally sound.
Co-Founder & Principal Investigator
Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Sciences, UC Irvine
Donald Hoffman is a cognitive scientist whose career spans visual perception, evolutionary psychology, and consciousness science. Author of The Case Against Reality and three technical monographs, with over 90 peer-reviewed publications. His 2015 TED Talk has reached millions. Hoffman's central thesis — that evolution optimizes perception for fitness, not truth — is mathematically proven and forms the bedrock of Trace Logic. He provides scientific direction for all TRACE research.
Mathematics
Professor of Mathematics, California State University San Bernardino. Proved the Fitness Beats Truth theorem — a cornerstone of TRACE Logic. Co-author on Markov chain dynamics, decorated permutations, and entropy-rate mappings. Brings rigorous mathematical proof to conscious agent theory.
Mathematical Physics
Co-author of Traces of Consciousness. Expertise in quantum mechanics, scattering theory, and mathematical physics formalisms. Connects Trace Logic to high-energy physics, enabling empirical testing against particle scattering data.
Computational Modeling
Computational modeling and mathematical formalism within TRACE. Works on the simulation frameworks used to test conscious agent dynamics and derive physics predictions from network models.
Philosophy of Mind
Consciousness researcher and formal theorist. Co-author of Fusions of Consciousness (Entropy, 2023). Bridges formal mathematics and phenomenological consciousness studies, ensuring TRACE engages both quantitative and qualitative aspects of mind.
Theoretical Physics
Theoretical physicist contributing to the mathematical foundations of TRACE Logic. Works on the formal structures connecting agent network dynamics to known physical laws and geometry.
Quantum Gravity
Theoretical physicist and loop quantum gravity pioneer. Collaborator providing input on quantum gravity's implications for TRACE Logic and its relationship to modern physics challenges — including why spacetime itself may not be fundamental.
Physics & Foundations
Physicist contributing to the foundational theoretical work of TRACE. Research focus spans physical foundations and the formal derivation of physical laws from conscious agent dynamics.
Altered States & Psychedelic Science
Andrew Gallimore
Neuropharmacologist & Consciousness Researcher — Author of Alien Information Theory. Expert in psychedelic pharmacology and altered states as windows into consciousness structure.
Chris Timmermann
Psychedelic Neuroscience — Imperial College London. Research at the intersection of consciousness, psychedelics, and the neural correlates of altered states.
Hayden Smith
Consciousness & Altered States Research — Interdisciplinary researcher exploring consciousness at the boundary of perception, altered states, and formal theories of mind.
Non-Dual & Contemplative Traditions
Rupert Spira
Non-Dual Teacher & Author — Leading voice in Advaita Vedanta and contemporary non-dual philosophy. His teaching that consciousness is the one fundamental reality parallels TRACE's mathematical claims.
Swami Sarvapriyananda
Vedanta Scholar, Ramakrishna Mission — Minister of the Vedanta Society of New York. Scholar of Advaita Vedanta and its alignment with consciousness-as-fundamental frameworks in modern physics.