SSE 2026 Election and Candidate statements
Article III of the SSE Constitution specifies the Officers and Councilors who govern the society. All Full and Emeritus members in good standing are eligible to hold office and vote in elections.
The positions, length of terms, and candidates are listed below. Click on each candidate to see their statements and bios.
- President: 1 year
- Vice President: 3 years
- Secretary: 3 years
- Treasurer: 2 years
- Five Council members: Staggered terms of 1, 2 and 3 years by ranking of votes received.
Voting is open until September 20, 11:59 PM EDT
You must be a Full or Emeritus member and login to vote. You may vote only once.
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Candidate Statements
President
James Houran (Incumbent)
The Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE) stands at an important crossroads. To remain relevant, influential, and true to its mission, we must modernize our operations, broaden participation, and reinforce the standards that make our work distinctive. Over the past year as interim President, I have worked toward these goals by resurrecting the monthly newsletter, collaborating with the Executive Committee to clean and update membership rolls, and supporting renewed recruitment and donation efforts. I have helped train and guide our new Community Engagement Manager, who has now reestablished SSE’s social media presence, developed the Society’s quarterly webinar series, and assisted in identifying our Journal’s next Editor in Chief. These efforts reflect what SSE’s greatest strength has always been—its people: investigators willing to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions, and pursue evidence wherever it leads.
As President, I will build on this momentum by revitalizing Council engagement, strengthening our editorial and conference infrastructure, expanding interdisciplinary partnerships, and cultivating the next generation of researchers. My commitment is to a Society that is more responsive, more resilient, and more visible, while fostering a more connected and collaborative community. Together, we can honor SSE’s legacy and boldly shape its future.
Vice President
Debra Katz
I am interested in serving as Vice President of the Society for Scientific Exploration because I believe SSE occupies a uniquely important position within the scientific landscape. For decades, the Society has provided a serious forum for researchers willing to investigate questions that may fall outside conventional scientific boundaries while maintaining a commitment to evidence, critical inquiry, and rigorous research. I would like to help strengthen that mission and support SSE’s President and Board in carrying the organization’s goals forward.
One of my priorities as Vice President would be to work closely with and support the President, helping translate organizational goals into concrete initiatives and ensuring that important projects continue moving forward. I see the Vice President not simply as a substitute for the President when needed, but as an active partner who can help coordinate people, programs, and relationships across the organization.
I am particularly interested in strengthening the relationship between SSE leadership and the editor of the Journal of Scientific Exploration. I believe advancing the journal is one of the most important things we can do for parapsychology, consciousness research, anomalistics, and the other scientific areas represented within SSE. A strong journal gives researchers a credible venue in which to publish their work, encourages higher methodological standards, creates a permanent scientific record, and provides a bridge between researchers working in unconventional areas and the larger scientific community. I would like to help increase submissions, broaden participation, encourage excellent scholarship, and expand the journal’s visibility and impact.
I would also like to help bring additional people into leadership roles within SSE. The Society encompasses a broad range of research interests, and I believe those areas should be meaningfully represented within the organization. Bringing in researchers with different specialties, perspectives, ages, and levels of experience can help SSE remain vibrant while ensuring that no major area of inquiry becomes isolated or overlooked.
Strengthening opportunities for students and emerging researchers would be another priority. Students represent the future of these fields, yet it can be difficult for young scholars to pursue unconventional research interests within traditional academic environments. SSE can provide mentorship, intellectual community, research opportunities, conference participation, and professional connections that may be unavailable elsewhere. I would like to help expand and strengthen those pathways.
Finally, I would like to serve as a liaison with other organizations whose missions intersect with SSE’s. Collaboration can help organizations share expertise, reach larger audiences, support research, and avoid unnecessarily duplicating one another’s efforts. My goal would be to strengthen relationships while preserving SSE’s distinct identity.
My background as a researcher, educator, organizational leader, and former president of the International Remote Viewing Association has given me experience working across research, education, publication, conferences, and nonprofit leadership. As SSE Vice President, I would bring that experience to an organization whose independence I deeply value. I would work to help SSE remain firmly research oriented while positioning it effectively within the larger scientific community and strengthening its ability to investigate important questions that conventional science may not yet be prepared to address.
Secretary
Mark Urban-Lurain (Incumbent)
I am an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Collaborative Research in Education, Assessment and Teaching Environments for the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CREATE for STEM) at Michigan State University. My professional research is in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education at the undergraduate level and using machine learning to analyze student writing in STEM courses.
The anomalous interest that brought me to SSE is astrology; particularly the impact that the Gauquelin results have had in the organized skeptical community. I value SSE for pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge by supporting open-minded scientific inquiry into a range of anomalous phenomena, since it is the anomalies that often point the way to radical changes scientific theories.
I have been an SSE member since 1998, served on council from 2004 - 2008 and as Secretary since 2008. I was program chair for the 2004 annual meeting and local host for the 2007 meeting. Many of you know me as the person who coordinates speaker logistics and technology at the annual meetings. As secretary, I am responsible for membership, elections, and for the logistics of council meetings along with governance of the society through the Council and Executive Committee.
This past year has been a challenge for all organizations, including SSE. On the plus side, the pandemic has motivated us to up our online presence, by hosting a variety of virtual events each month. I have worked with our executive committee to help coordinate these events which have extended participation for many of our SSE members who cannot travel or live outside of the U.S. If elected, I would like to see us continue this outreach by building our membership and extending our electronic publications. I ask for your vote so that I may continue working with the SSE Council to help SSE continue growing.
Treasurer
Daqing Piao (Incumbent)
I was appointed interim treasurer position as the pandemic phased out, and I was normalized at the treasurer position as the society at large started to normalize. During perhaps the most challenging time of the Society, I was part of the team to have made impactful decisions to help put the financial situation of the society on more balanced feet. During this time, I have learned the importance of timely information from the treasurer to the executive committee. I hope to continue to serve the Society at the treasurer's role, while promoting MAVERICK Talks and contributing in other ways as manageable.
Bio:
Daqing Piao earned BS in Physics in 1990 from Tsinghua University, MS in Biomedical Engineering in 2001 and PHD in Biomedical Engineering in 2003, both from University of Connecticut. After two years of postdoctoral training in respectively University of Connecticut and Dartmouth College, he joined Oklahoma State University in 2005 where he is now Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research interest in "psience" has brought him into SSE.
Council (Vote for no more than 5)
Damon Abraham (Incumbent)
Since attending my first conference in 2015, the SSE has become my home base. As a PhD student at the time, I aimed to establish a methodological and theoretical framework to approach and contextualize my own profound spiritually transformative experiences. The SSE provided the community connection and support that I lacked in academia, becoming a stalwart source of inspiration as I completed my degree. While the research platform provided by the SSE is paramount, it is the connection to the community that has been the central draw for me.
Following that first conference, where I received the Young Investigator award, I integrated myself into the SSE community both locally and nationally. I became involved in the SSE's Boulder chapter, and co-organized local chapters of other aligned organizations like the International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS) and Consciousness Hacking. Additionally, I launched a student organization at the University of Denver focused on the intersection of consciousness and technology. Throughout this time, I have remained actively involved in the SSE by attending and presenting at conferences, serving on the conference planning committee, and participating in the
Aspiring Explorers group.
My formal academic pursuits have primarily focused on emotion, emotion self-regulation, and the construal of mental states. I have also explored various areas within parapsychology, particularly non-local consciousness, non-local perception, and non-local influence. The intersection of consciousness, psi, and AI, and its implications for augmented human potential and personal growth, has been a particular interest of mine. I have partnered with both traditional academics and parapsychology researchers across these areas. As a researcher, I am highly cooperative and seek to foster cross-institutional collaborations and common research interests. Currently, I am working with researchers from alma mater and IONS on a project to develop a large open-sourced database of subjectively rated images for use across a variety of research applications. This project aims to understand how these nuances influence psychological processes and associations formed from visual stimuli. Such collaborations highlight my dedication to building connections and advancing research in parapsychology.
I am honored to be nominated as a candidate to continue to serve the SSE . Having personally benefited from engaging with the organization, I am passionate about fostering growth and community outreach within the SSE to share its value with others. I envision supporting additional local chapters and student-run organizations to build a strong foundation at the grassroots level. I support expanding the SSE's digital platform and facilitating practical hands-on workshops that may enhance the organization's impact. Likewise, strengthening relationships with sister
scientific organizations and exploring collaborations in the private sector are also avenues I would
seek to pursue as a council member.
I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the SSE's continued success and growth. Serving on the council would enable me to further support cross-institutional collaborations, promote community outreach, and facilitate the exploration of new research frontiers. Thank you for considering my application.
Philip Brown
Philip Brown was born and raised in South Africa and completed a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg. Following that} he pursued his graduate studies in mathematics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Upon completing his Ph.D., he began a career at the Galveston campus of Texas A&M. He is now an Associate Professor and the Department Head of Foundational Sciences at the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies. Besides his research in theoretical mathematics (number theory and complex analysis), he has had a lifelong interest in the ancient history of human civilizations. More recently (since 2012) he has developed an interest in Greek metaphysics, spirituality, numerology, reincarnation and astrology.
In Mysticism and the Fine Structure Constant published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration in 2020 (Vol. 34, No. 3) he explores the surprising connection between the number 137 and Kabbalah by means of gematria, and the connection between Wolfgang Pauli's World Clock dream and formulas for the fine structure constant. Furthermore, a formula that relates the number 137 to the golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence is placed in the context of Platonic and Pythagorean mysticism and various religious and esoteric traditions.
In his article Moseley and Pythagoras: On Number and Causality published in EdgeScience Magazine No. 52 in 2023, he reveals coincidences relating to dates and numbers in the life of a famous scientist, Henry Moseley, that leads him to hypothesize the existence of a mysterious causality connecting numbers and events in the world that is supported by Pythagorean number lore, Emanuel Swedenborg's belief that the deeper meaning and symbolism of numbers are the basis of an angelic language, Gottfried Leibniz's dream of developing a "calculus universalis," the metaphysics of Egyptologist R At Schwaller de Lubicz in which numbers constitute the principle of life, an ancient cosmic code of number and geometry introduced by John F. C. Michell, and Carl Jung's belief that the connection between events in the world may in certain circumstances be other than directly causal. Henry Moseley's discoveries relating to X-ray emissions support the idea of number as causality by his demonstration that the atomic number (Z)—a pure integer—is the fundamental property governing an element's physical behavior.
At the SSE conference in Denver, Colorado, in 2026, Philip presented his poster Harry, Devin and Pluto, in which he illustrates the connections between Henry Moseley and his deceased friend, Devin Moseley, and motivates that if Devin was the reincarnation of Harry in the sense of a continuation of some kind of life force, then it appears that there was also a continuation of names, traits (personality, physical appearance), symbols, numbers (significant dates and addresses), and astrological characteristics (the archetype of Pluto) somehow associated with it,
Philip Brown's vision for contributing to the SSE would relate to his own research, i.e., the possibility of finding connections between modern science and ancient mythology or religious and philosophical traditions.
Dr. Thorsten Ludwig
I always look up to the SSE as a great and important scientific organization standing for quality in scientific research as well as being a bridge between innovative science and the established institutions. As a council member I would like to help to bring the SSE to the next level.
Dr. Ludwig was educated in Physics at a classic technical university in Berlin, Dr Ludwig has a Dipl. Phys. in Physics from the Technical University of Berlin, (2001), and a doctor of natural Science (Dr. rer. nat.) from the Technical University of Berlin, (2005), both with highest excellence. At the University he worked on Helium-Helium collision and learned experimental skills in vacuum technology, high frequency, molecular physics, high voltage, optics, spectroscopy and how to write peer review papers and more. Since than he has worked on new energy and propulsion technologies. 20 Years ago he co-founded the applied consciousness research institute and did a number of experiments with mind, intentions and physical effects. Since the early 1990s he researched into bridging mainstream science and experienced extraordinary phenomena. From personal experience he knows there is more to this world as the standard model of physics, and we need to understand it. His special interest is new energy technology and innovative propulsion systems, mind matter interaction and bioelectric. Dr Ludwig has studied the Casimir effect for many years, especially how to extract energy from the vacuum via this effect, as well as the influences of consciousness on the quantum fluctuations and the Casimir force. His group also built up an experiment to study intentions on single quantum events in an ion trap.
I am motivated to run for council and would like to bring in quality research and connections to many researchers, inventors and players in the field of new energy technologies. In addition to that I would like to strengthen the European component in the SSE and revitalize activities in Europe and bring researchers into the SSE that work in relevant fields. I would also like to make SSE more modern and more interactive, bring more benefits to the members and more awareness and understanding of the SSE topics to the public.
Till today it is not easy to work on new energy technologies, new physics and consciousness research (as a natural scientist). We still need progress in financing innovative research projects and publishing results in relevant journals. The public needs to be informed in order to demand progress in these fields. For me it is clear that as long as physics ignores all effect apart from the standard model we will not solve the problems at hand. We need to update our scientific world view in order to progress.
I think we are at a turning point and research in this area is becoming more relevant for society.
Margaret Moga
BIO: I recently retired from my position as Associate Professor in the Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology at Indiana University School of Medicine. My early research interest was neuroanatomy, but then later I developed a strong interest in Complementary & Integrative Medicine, with a focus on biofield therapies, magnetic field changes during energy healing, healer exceptional experiences and studies of the chakras. Some of my findings were presented at four SSE Conferences. I have been active in SSE leadership activities: I served on the SSE Council from 2018-2022, chaired an online SSE symposium on Bioenergy and Healing in 2022, and then served as interim President, 2023. I was local host for the 2023 SSE conference in Bloomington, Indiana, and Program Chair of the 2024 SSE Online conference.
STATEMENT: At this time of transition in the SSE, I am happy to serve again, sharing my knowledge of what has worked best here at the SSE, as well as some nuts-and-bolts ideas of what we can tweak to do better. For example, it may be time for us to get the SSE Wikipedia page updated, to remove the taint of ‘fringe science’. Not as impossible as it sounds! We were the leading edge in the frontier sciences for many years but now must compete for people and resources with multiple new organizations. With that in mind, it may be good to reexamine our Mission Statement, organization structure and goals, to remain competitive in the years ahead.
Alison Oliveto, PhD
A trained experimental psychologist/behavioral pharmacologist, I focused primarily on research investigating potential interventions to prevent or improve treatments for substance use disorders (SUDs). Meanwhile, I have a long-standing interest in bridging biomedicine and complementary and alternative healing practice. I have been a student, practitioner, and teacher of various healing modalities, helped direct a complementary and alternative medicine course elective for medical students, and led a short-lived initiative to support consideration of integrative medicine practices and research at my home institution. I surveyed people with SUDs on the acceptability of complementary modalities treatment adjuncts and received an outstanding score from a National Institute of Health (NIH) review committee on a research project examining the efficacy of shamanic healing for methamphetamine use disorder. Although this work was not funded, I am a strong proponent of researching phenomena that may be difficult or impossible to explain with existing theoretical models and technologies.
A full SSE member in good standing since 2019, I attended my first in-person conference in June 2026 and was thrilled to meet like-minded individuals dedicated to investigating phenomena that do not fit neatly into mainstream paradigms. I decided to make future conference attendance a priority and would like to help support SSE, serving in whatever capacity best utilizes my skills. My vision for the SSE includes an expanded membership base with a balanced portfolio of basic and clinical researchers, theoreticians, practitioners, and community stakeholders; identification of potential funding sources and partnerships to support an annual in-person conference; and a greater breadth of conference topics and speakers to foster higher attendance. I have lots of research administrative and leadership experience that can be leveraged to foster growth and sustainability of SSE. During my tenure at Yale School of Medicine, I served as Scientific Director of an NIH-funded Yale Medications Development Center, coordinating the mentoring of physician scientists and fellows, overseeing research staff, and consolidating resources to maximize research productivity. A Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) since 2004, I was Vice-Chair for Research from 2004-2022, building a supportive research infrastructure, overseeing career development of clinician scientists and establishing a research track for Psychiatry residents. I directed the NIH-supported UAMS Clinical Trials Unit from 2014-2017, building research hub and network capacity for our Translational Research Institute. Since 2016, I have been directing the UAMS Center for Addiction Research, expanding its membership to encompass addiction researchers from various Psychiatry research divisions, College of Medicine departments and college campuses to foster interdisciplinary synergy and research collaborations. Since 2019, I have been partnering with Arkansas state agencies, researchers, and community stakeholders to help guide successful substance use prevention activities in the state. I also served on the Board of Directors of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence from 2005-2009, so bring working knowledge of issues facing a national professional organization. I believe I can be a contribution to SSE’s continued growth and sustainability. Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy.
Albert So
I have been a member of the SSE since 2011. I got a BSc, MSc and PhD, all in electrical engineering from The University of Hong Kong. Before my retirement, I had been a professor and engineer in automation, motor control, HVAC systems, and elevator engineering. I, in particular, specialize in elevator engineering, mainly on motor drive and traffic analysis. I produced more than 320 publications, mostly in various fields of engineering.
Besides the orthodox disciplines, since the turn of the century, I have been building up my interests in paranormal and metaphysical studies. Ancient Chinese Feng shui, concept of which is close to but beyond geomancy, is one area on which I have spent so much time. I published three books on how to study Feng shui scientifically and they are all available on Amazon.com. Few years ago, I presented my works on the application of linear algebra to an important diagram of Feng shui at one Maverick webinar, and I am going to present a recent study on the design of the main entrance of grand shopping malls based on Feng shui principles with the aid of a mathematical model at a coming Maverick webinar.
Ufology is another area in which I am interested. I delivered several lectures on the science of famous space movies, such as Star Trek, Black Hole and Interstellar etc., and that of the famous fiction, The Three Body Problem, and the Skinwalker Ranch phenomena. I, in particular, am interested in studying theories regarding the anti-gravitational and faster-than-light movement of UFOs. Perhaps, these are due to my engineering background. The term UFO has recently been replaced by UAP, probably due to the findings of the AAWSAP project. In addition to Ufology, parapsychology is my other area of interest, on which I published a couple of short articles with my co-author.
If I could be elected as a Council member of the SSE, I shall take the first few months to get familiar with all current activities of the SSE to have a more in-depth understanding of the society. Then, I want to focus on two aspects, i.e. seeking research fund to perform experiments on Feng shui and parapsychology etc. to verify hypotheses, and encouraging colleagues to publish more actively in JSE, Edge Science and Explorer. Few months ago, I applied for the position of Associate Editor of JSE but failed due to the nonexistence of this post. As a professor, I have spent almost my entire professional life on academic publication. It is natural for me to strive to contribute more to the three publications of the society.
I must confess that during my past fifteen years of membership, I have mainly been receiving benefits but contributed too less to the society. And I just retired half a year ago and certainly want to spend more time on the development of it.