Arlington, VA—James Giordano, Ph.D., who has been serving as the Director of the Center for Neurotechnology Studies, has now been appointed to Chair of Academic Programs at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. In this position, Dr. Giordano leads all academic endeavors, including oversight of five distinct academic centers (National Security Health Policy Center, National Center for Unconventional Thought, Center for Neurotechnology Studies, International Center for Terrorism Studies, and the Risk Analysis Center), within the academic arm of the Potomac Institute.
Additionally, Dr. Giordano is Professor of Neuroscience, Philosophy and Ethics at the Institute for Psychological Sciences, Centre for Philosophical Psychology and Fellow, Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. Dr. Giordano is also Visiting Professor of Neurophilosophy and Neuroethics at Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms Universität, Bonn, Germany, and was elected to the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in recognition of his work.
Dr. Giordano states, “I am honored and pleased to assume the Chair of Academic Programs at the Institute. As science and technology progress, it becomes increasingly important to both support and sustain scholarly work within each of the focal areas addressed by the academic centers, and to promote horizontal exchange of ideas, information and projects through collaboration and cooperation. The work of our academic centers cannot remain in a silo, but instead, must work synergistically to advance our knowledge of the ways in which technology can be engaged to further the human condition, identify and analyze informational gaps and problems, and develop potential solutions that inform policy and illuminate a path to our future possibilities.”
“Prof. Giordano is considered to be a world authority in the field of neurotechnology – the intersection between neuroscience and technology. This is an area that is ever-evolving and has significant implications in the area of national security and counter-terrorism. Dr. Giordano’s proven leadership in both the academic and scientific arenas is exactly the blend that the Potomac Institute is looking for to advance our academic efforts, programs and expertise well into the 21st Century,” adds Michael S. Swetnam, Chairman and CEO of the Potomac Institute.
Dr. Giordano's research has focused upon neurochemical and anatomical substrates of neuropathic pain, and clinical applications of the development and use of new and novel analgesic drugs and biotechnologies. His current work addresses the neuroethics of pain, suffering and sentience, and examines how new developments in neuroscience and neurotechnology inform and sustain an evolving philosophy and ethics of mind and medicine.
He is the author of over 120 peer reviewed publications in neuroscience, pain medicine, medical philosophy, and ethics. His recent books include Pain: Mind, Meaning and Medicine (PPM-Publishers’ Press), Scientific and Philosophical Perspectives on Neuroethics: The Silent Revolution in Neurosciences (co-edited with Bert Gordijn, Cambridge University Press), and Pain Medicine: Philosophy, Ethics, and Policy (co-edited with Mark V. Boswell, Linton Atlantic Press). He holds a number of senior editorial positions, including Editor-in-Chief of Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities in Medicine, Associate Editor of the journal Neuroethics, Neuroscience and Ethics Section Editor (and formerly Deputy Editor-in-Chief) Pain Physician, Ethics and Policy Section Editor of Practical Pain Management, and Neuroscience and Bioethics Section Editor, Forschende Komplementärmedizin. As well, he is Editor-in-Chief of the forthcoming book series Advances in Neurotechnology: Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, published by CRC/Informa Press.
Prof. Giordano was awarded a BSc (cum laude) from St. Peter’s College (NJ), MA from Norwich University (VT), and MPhil, MS and PhD degrees in biological psychology (with distinction) from the City University of New York. He completed a NIEHS post-doctoral fellowship in neurotoxicology and neuropathology at the Johns Hopkins University (MD), was Visiting Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry, Munich, Germany, completed post-graduate training in ethics and health policy at the Neiswanger Institute of Loyola University (IL), and is currently a D.Phil candidate in medical philosophy and ethics at the Universität Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany. He and his wife Sherry, a naturalist and artist, live in Old Town Alexandria, VA.
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The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit public policy research institute. The Institute identifies and aggressively shepherds discussion on key science, technology, and national security issues facing our society. From these discussions and forums, we develop meaningful policy options and ensure their implementation at the intersection of business and government.