Patrick is a neuroscientist turned author, fascinated by the mysteries of the mind, consciousness, and the strange ways brains can be manipulated—from mind-control parasites to artificial intelligence. He earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University, where he studied the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and its remarkable ability to alter animal behavior. Patrick is currently the writer in residence at Stanford's Center for the Explanation of Consciousness, where he explores topics like free will, elegance, and anything that echolocates. His first book, Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness, delves into how our brains tell themselves stories, blurring the lines between mind control by parasites, technology, or even fiction. His essays and profiles on brains, AI, robots, and more have appeared in outlets such as The New Yorker, Slate, and the L.A. Review of Books. He was the inaugural writer in residence at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and has written science fiction at OpenAI. Patrick also spent several years at Kernel, a neurotechnology startup developing non-invasive brain imaging tools.
