Tommaso Barba

PhD candidate at the Centre for Psychedelic Research

Tommaso Barba is a final-year neuroscientist and PhD candidate at the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, one of the world’s leading institutions in this field. His work sits at the intersection of brain, mind, and subjective experience. His research focuses on the effects of psychedelics on depression, well-being, and human flourishing. More recently, his work has centred on understanding the neural and phenomenological mechanisms of ego dissolution, especially in relation to 5-MeO-DMT, one of the most potent known psychedelic substances. He has contributed to research published in Nature Medicine, The Lancet Clinical Medicine, and Scientific Reports. Alongside his academic work, he is actively engaged in science communication, with his research and perspectives featured in international media including Rolling Stone, New Scientist, Forbes, The Times, Corriere della Sera, and La Repubblica, as well as appearances on national television. He represents a new generation of researchers asking the questions mainstream medicine has long avoided.