Winning and honorable mention essays in the Neuroethics Essay Contest in 2025
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October 24, 2025 – The International Neuroethics Society (INS) and International Youth Neuroscience Association (IYNA) have selected Elizabeth Emery, Adam Mulugeta, Buse Altunbağ and Diya Gupta as the winning authors of the Neuroethics Essay Contest in 2025.
The contest promotes interest in neuroethics among students in high school, university, and early career training programs. Neuroethics is a scientific discipline that explores issues involving brain research, emerging technologies, ethics, policy, and law.
Authors of winning and honorable mention essays receive a 1-year membership to the INS, a cash prize, and a free registration to participate in the Neuroethics 2026 conference next April. The top essays from the contest will be made available on the contest website and top submissions to the high school category will be published in an upcoming issue of the IYNA Journal. Authors may also pursue other publishing opportunities.
The following authors were selected as winners for their outstanding submissions in the respective essay categories:
- Academic: Affective Capture: Affective AI in the Intimacy Economy and the Loss of Relational Agency – Elizabeth Emery, Technical University of Munich (United Kingdom / Germany)
- General Audience: The Neuroethical Paradox: How Brain Science Both Reshapes and Reinforces Racial Bias in Sentencing – Adam Mulugeta, Boston College (United States / Canada)
- High School: Dreams Without Dreamers: The Ethics of Emerging Consciousness in Brain Organoids – Buse Altunbağ, Ruzgar Anatolian High School (Turkey)
- Video: EEG-Neurotechnology Usage in the Workplace: Is it Ethical? – Diya Gupta, Marriotts Ridge High School (United States)
Several essays from each category were also named as honorable mentions, including those submitted by the following authors:
- Academic: The Use of fMRIs in the Case of the Death Penalty and Legal Insanity – Rachel Howell, Amherst College (United States); From Pathology to Paradigm: neurodiversity in ethical neuroscience – Tobiloba Olajide, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (Nigeria); The Neurodiversity Model of Autism: Implications for Low Support Needs vs. High Support Needs Autistic Individuals – Haven Predale, Rowan University (United States)
- General Audience: The Ethics of Memory Alteration: Should We Have the Right to Forget? – Serena Khan, St. Edward’s University (United States); Confiding in Code: Navigating the Use of Artificial Intelligence for Mental Health Care – Julia Laszcz, Emory University (United States); Wired for War? The Ethical Dilemma of Military Neurotechnology – Ijeoma Princess Nwafor, University of Nigeria (Nigeria)
- High School: When the Pig Thinks: Human Identity and Ethics in Neural Xenotransplantation – Ifrah Manha Asharaf Ali, GEMS OOD (United Arab Emirates); Finding a “Cure” for Autism – Shiva Goyal, University High School (United States)
- Video: Is there a future for rugby? – Briall Dyfri, University College London (United Kingdom); The Brain Behind Bars: A Neuroethical Crisis – Lily Guyumjian, The Buckley School (United States / Armenia); Reading Minds: Ethical Considerations of Brain Decoding Technology – Masouda Khan, Rick Reedy High School (United States)
The recognized essays and additional information about the authors of the winning essays is will be published on the Neuroethics Essay Contest website in the coming weeks.
The Neuroethics Essay Contest in 2025 is supported by a grant from the Dana Foundation, as well as generous contributions from Jan Patterson in recognition of the late Dr. Michael Patterson, a long-time supporter of neuroethics and editor of the Kopf Carrier.
The International Neuroethics Society is a professional association of students and scholars dedicated to fostering an inclusive and interdisciplinary community advancing dialogue and research on the ethical, legal, clinical, social, and policy considerations raised by brain sciences and technology.
The International Youth Neuroscience Association is a youth-led nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting, educating, and inspiring the next generation of neuroscientists.
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A print version of this release is available to download.
Contact
Robert Beets
INS Executive Director
beets@neuroethicssociety.org
+1 301-307-6020
International Neuroethics Society
6955 Willow Street NW Box #302, Washington, DC 20012
neuroethicssociety.org