Mapping the mind at the frontier of science

Richard Silberstein is a cognitive neuroscientist and Professor Emeritus at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, where he has made significant contributions to the understanding of brain function over a career spanning more than four decades. He holds a BSc (Hons) in physics from Monash University and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Melbourne.

With a background bridging physics and neuroscience, Silberstein served as Chairman of the Department of Physics at Swinburne University of Technology before going on to become a significant figure in brain imaging research. He is best known as the originator of Steady State Topography (SST), a brain imaging methodology that examines the relationship between the brain's electrical activity and psychological processes. He served as founding director of the Swinburne University Brain Sciences Institute before retiring in 2014.

In 2005, Silberstein co-founded Neuro-Insight, a consumer neuroscience company of which he serves as Board Chairman and Chief Scientist. He is the first elected president of the Neuromarketing Science & Business Association (NMSBA).

The author and co-author of more than 100 scientific articles and books, Silberstein's research spans cognitive and clinical neuroscience, including work on attention, memory, ADHD, and creativity. In recent years, he has also explored the intersection of neuroscience and consciousness studies, investigating phenomena such as brain connectivity and anomalous cognition.

His most recent book, Stranger and Stranger: The Neuroscience of How Mind and Cosmos Communicate (Park Street Press, October 2026), presents experimental evidence that challenges the materialist view of consciousness and argues that psi abilities such as telepathy and precognition are real and transformative. With a foreword by Dean Radin, PhD, the book weaves together neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and the cutting edge of consciousness research.