The UW Neuroethics Research Group is a multidisciplinary “lab” focused on ethical issues related to neuroscience and neurotechnology. The group is led by Sara Goering, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy, and Eran Klein, a neurologist and affiliate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Research Areas
History and Mission
The group originated as the Neuroethics Thrust within the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) in 2011 and focused on foundational conceptual and empirical ethical issues arising out of the development of bi-directional implantable brain-computer interface devices.
The Neuroethics Research Group studies ethical issues arising from neuroscience and neurotechnology. We have a commitment to the inclusion of disability perspectives in the design of neural devices, especially those intended to benefit disabled people. Our group does both normative theoretical research and writing, and empirical studies such as focus groups and interviews with current and potential future users of brain devices. Undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students in the Department of Philosophy are key contributors to the Neuroethics Research Group. Please see this page for more information on education and outreach opportunities.
Our People
Core Faculty
Sara Goering, Co-Lead
Professor, Department of Philosophy
Sara Goering is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington, Seattle, and directs the Neuroethics Research Group in the Center for Neurotechnology (CNT). She is also a member of the Program on Ethics, the Disability Studies Program, and adjunct faculty in the Bioethics & Humanities Department.
Her work in the Neuroethics Research Group focuses on issues of agency and identity in relation to neural technology (both DBS and BCI), and emphasizes the importance of engagement with disabled people, who are often the intended end-users of the technology.
Eran Klein, Co-Lead
Professor, Department of Philosophy
Eran Klein is a neurologist specializing in dementia at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) and the Portland VA Health Care System (PVAHCS). He is part of the Neuroethics Research Group at the NSF Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) at the University of Washington. He works at the intersection of neurology, neuroscience, and philosophy.
Tim Brown
Assistant Professor, Department of Bioethics & Humanities
Timothy Brown is Assistant Professor of Bioethics & Humanities at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He works at the intersection of biomedical ethics, philosophy of technology, (black/latinx/queer) feminist thought, and aesthetics.
His research explores the potential impact of neurotechnologies—systems that record and stimulate the nervous system—on end users’ sense of agency and embodiment. His work also interrogates neurotechnologies for their potential to exacerbate or create social inequities, in order to establish best practices for engineers.
Kate MacDuffie
Assistant Professor, Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics
Kate MacDuffie is an Assistant Professor in the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics, UW School of Medicine. She has a PhD in clinical psychology.
Her work focuses on understanding the ethical and social impacts of advances in neuroscience on children and adults affected by psychiatric, neurological, and neurodevelopmental disorders. One of her current projects investigates the experiences of human subjects who donate biospecimens for brain organoid research.
Research Associates
Undergraduates/REUs
- Sofia Schwarzwalder (UW)
- Sarah D’Souza (UW)
- Zoe Hale (UW)
Visiting Scholars
Andreas Schönau (now at Cyber Agency, German government)
Ishan Dasgupta (now at the Dana Foundation)
Tim Brown (now Assistant Professor, University of Washington Bioethics & Humanities)
Frederic Gilbert (now Associate Professor, University of Tasmania)
Laura Specker Sullivan (now Associate Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University)
Asad Beck, (now postdoc, UW)
Erika Versalovic (now postdoc, Harvard/MGH)
Paul Tubig (now Assistant Professor, Georgia Southern University)
Marion Boulicault (now Assistant Professor, University of Edinburgh)
Natalia Montes (now Graduate Advisor, UW Neuroscience)
Michelle Pham (now Assistant Professor, Michigan State University Center for Bioethics and Social Justice)
Tim Brown (now Assistant Professor, University of Washington Bioethics & Humanities)
Matthew Sample (now VP of Tech Governance, State Street)
Anjali Truitt (now Salesforce Certified Administrator)
Alicia Intriago (now Assistant Federal Public Defender, Las Vegas NV)
Taylor Graham (Fordham)
Charlie Walker (Georgia Tech)
Audry Davis (University of Puget Sound)
Noah Robinson (Georgia State University)
Chloe Dahleen (now Partners in Health)
Esha Patel (UW)
Jenan Alsarraf (UW)
Sami Ayele (now Johns Hopkins University)
Melissa Diamond (now UW College of Education)
Hannah Earhart (Summer research education for teachers)
Alex Franke (now Washington State University Medical School)
Cohavit Gil (UMass Amherst)
Mikalia Jackson (Spelman College)
Kowe Kadoma (now Cornell Graduate School)
Hannah Martens (now University of Illinois, Chicago, Philosophy graduate program)
Phoenix Meadowlark (now Google)
Christopher Pham (now Dartmouth Medical School)
Sierra Simmerman (now Tulane University)
Hale Soloff (now Emory University Neuroscience graduate program)
Ian Stevens (now University of Tasmania)
Tatianah Summers (Seattle University)
Juliana Trifan (Temple University)
italics represent summer REU student