The Future of Psychedelic Academia: Inside Exeter’s Psychedelic Interdisciplinary Centre (EPIC) (Free panel event)

Creative Problem Solving, Community, and Clinical Trials Reimagined

What if psychedelics could help unlock solutions to some of today’s most complex challenges  from climate change and mental health to the nature of consciousness itself?

At the newly launched Exeter Psychedelic Interdisciplinary Centre (EPIC), researchers are asking bold, unconventional questions that push beyond the boundaries of traditional science. From psilocybin and creativity in ecological problem-solving, to the integration of Indigenous knowledge into clinical trials, to the neural and philosophical dimensions of psychedelic experience, this is a space where disciplines converge and new perspectives emerge.

Bringing together leading voices including Professor Celia Morgan, Dr. Leor Roseman, Dr. Simon Ruffell, Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, Dr. Anjali Bhat, and Dr. Andy Letcher, EPIC represents a new model of psychedelic research, one that bridges neuroscience, philosophy, anthropology, and real-world application.

This FREE event offers a unique opportunity to meet the team behind EPIC, hear about the cutting-edge work underway, and explore what it means to take a truly interdisciplinary approach to understanding psychedelics and their potential impact on society.

What we’ll explore

• Interdisciplinary approaches to psychedelic research bringing together neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and culture
• Psychedelics and real-world applications, including creativity, problem-solving, and societal impact
• Philosophical perspectives on psychedelic experience, from phenomenology to questions of consciousness
• Insights from clinical and experimental research (including ketamine, psilocybin and LSD studies)
• Bridging the gap between clinical trials and real-world experience
• The role of emerging research centres like EPIC in shaping the future of the field
• An overview of current and upcoming EPIC programmes, including PGCert, MSc, and PhD opportunities

Why attend?

Psychedelic research is evolving rapidly, although some of the most important developments are happening at the intersections between disciplines, where science meets philosophy, culture, and real-world application.

This event offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from the team behind a newly launched research centre pushing those boundaries. Rather than focusing on a single perspective, it brings together diverse voices working across clinical trials, neuroscience, and the humanities.

Whether you’re a researcher, clinician, student, or simply curious, this session will give you insight into where the field is heading, and why an interdisciplinary approach may be essential to understanding the full potential of psychedelics.

Speakers

Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes

Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes is a Philosopher of Mind and Metaphysics who specialises in the thought of Whitehead, Spinoza, Nietzsche, and Bergson and in fields pertaining to panpsychism, pantheism, mental causation, and altered states of consciousness. He is a lecturer at The University of Exeter where he is a lead on the new MSc in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine, and Culture. Peter is co-director of Europe’s largest psychedelics conference, Breaking Convention, and is on the board of breathwork charity Dreamshadow. He is a member of the drugs advisory committee group, DrugScience, he is on the advisory board of the Tyringham Institute, and is on the team of the established UK independent publisher, Psychedelic Press.

Peter is the author of Noumenautics (2015), Modes of Sentience (2021), co-editor and contributor of Bloomsbury’s Philosophy and Psychedelics (2022), the TEDx Talker on ‘psychedelics and consciousness’. Peter speaks regularly at international conferences, and he is inspiration to the recreation of inhuman philosopher Marvel Superhero, Karnak.

Professor Celia Morgan

Professor Celia Morgan is Co-Founder of the EPIC, where she leads the clinical applications strand of the research programme. Her work focuses on understanding how context shapes the effects of psychoactive substances  and why the same drug can produce vastly different outcomes depending on the setting in which it is used.

Her research spans two interconnected areas: the psychology of addiction, particularly how relationships with substances become overvalued and entrenched, and the clinical application of psychedelic drugs alongside psychological therapies. She has led large-scale clinical trials of ketamine-assisted therapy and continues to explore how these treatments can be delivered safely and effectively.

Across behavioural studies, neuroimaging, and clinical trials, her work aims to develop a more nuanced understanding of how substances affect the mind, moving beyond reductionist models to better reflect the complexity of human experience.

Dr. Leor Roseman

Dr. Leor Roseman is a Senior Lecturer and psychedelic researcher at the EPIC within the Department of Psychology at the University of Exeter. He is also the founder of Ripples, a non-profit initiative focused on peacebuilding and collective liberation supported by psychedelics. 

His interdisciplinary research spans neuroscience, psychology, phenomenology, anthropology, and conflict resolution, drawing on a wide range of methods including fMRI, quantitative and qualitative approaches, microphenomenology, ethnography, and participatory research.

Prior to joining Exeter, Leor worked at the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London (2013–2023), where he trained under Prof. Robin Carhart-Harris and Prof. David Nutt, contributing to foundational work during the resurgence of psychedelic science.

Dr. Andy Letcher

Dr. Andy Letcher is Programme Director for the PGCert and MSc programmes in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine, and Culture at the University of Exeter, delivered both online and in person. 

He began his career as an ecologist before moving into the humanities and the study of religion. His work focuses on the critical and psychological study of so-called “dark green” religions, belief systems that centre relationships with the nonhuman world, including Paganism, shamanism, animism, and psychedelic spiritualities.

Dr Letcher’s research explores how psychedelic experiences are interpreted through spiritual and religious frameworks, as well as the often-unexamined theological assumptions underpinning psychedelic science, particularly in relation to mysticism. He is the author of Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom and has published widely on psychedelics, including recent work on their use among contemporary Druids.

Dr. Simon Ruffell

Dr. Simon Ruffell is a Lecturer in Psychology and Psychedelics at the University of Exeter. He trained in psychiatry as a medical doctor and holds a PhD in research psychology examining ayahuasca use and mental health in Amazonian contexts. His research explores psychedelic-assisted interventions, psychological integration processes, and the cultural and ethical dimensions of plant medicine use.

 Alongside his academic training, he has undertaken long-term study of Shipibo-Konibo healing practices in the Peruvian Amazon. This experience informs his work on decolonial and culturally responsive approaches to psychology, with particular attention to how Indigenous knowledge systems conceptualise mental health, healing, and relational wellbeing.

 His work draws on clinical, qualitative, and interdisciplinary methods to examine the interface between Western psychiatry and Indigenous medical systems. His research activity includes collaborative projects with academic institutions, non-profit partners, and Indigenous-led organisations exploring naturalistic ayahuasca use and the translation of emerging evidence into clinically, culturally, and ethically informed frameworks.

Host

Ryan Khan

Ryan is the Online Events Coordinator for The Psychedelic Society and a life-long psychedelic enthusiast. He is completing his MSc in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine & Culture at The University of Exeter where he specialises in the extra-pharmacological factors affecting psychedelic assisted therapy. Ryan also sits at the intersection of psychedelic research, education and therapy. He works as a Research Assistant at Pneuma Science, Consultant at Psilonautica and Trip Sitter at Beautiful Space. Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

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