About Me
David has a BSc in Psychology (1st class – University of Westminster, UK), a TESOL certificate (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - University of Westminster, UK), a Diploma in Parapsychology (Institute of Parapsychology, Rhine Research Centre, NC, USA), and a PhD in psychology (University of Northampton, UK). His doctoral thesis was entitled “The psychology and parapsychology of beliefs about luck and their relation to beliefs about psi and psi performance”.
David has lectured in psychology (research methods, psychopharmacology, parapsychology, cognitive psychology, forensic psychology, introduction to psychology, consciousness and transpersonsal psychology) at the Universities of Westminster (1997-1998, 2001-2004), Northampton (2000-2001, 2008-2011), Greenwich (2003, 2008-2011), East London (2008) and the London Metropolitan University (2008). He has also taught English as a second language in Zimbabwe (1996), London (1998), and Mexico (1998-1999), and has travelled widely exploring cross-cultural approaches to magic. He currently also works as a Research Associate at the Beckley Foundation, Oxford, which initiates and oversees research into the neuroscience of consciousness and its altered states, primarily through psychedelics.
In 2004 he co-organised the “Exploring consciousness: With what intent?” international academic conference on psychedelics, paganism, parapsychology and astrology, in conjunction with Bath Spa University. In 2007, he co-curated an exhibition at the Northampton Museum called “Unlucky for some?”, exploring the psychology and parapsychology of superstition. In 2011 he co-organised the Breaking Convention: A Multidsciplinary Meeting on Psychedelic Consciousness at the Univeristy of Kent. He has also co-organised a number of festivals, art exhibtions and other public events, often with shamanic/magical/paranormal themes, such as the 'Day of the Dead' festival in London in 2008, and 'Vigil' at the Royal Academy of Art in London in 2010. Since 2008 he has been Director of theEcology, Cosmos and Consciousness lecture series at the October Gallery in Bloomsbury, London. He is currently an editorial board member of theEuropean Journal for Ecopsychology, and of Paranthropology: Journal of Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal,and is a referee for Personality and Individual Differences, Drugs and Alcohol Today, the European Journal of Parapsychology (not currently in press) and the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
His research and writing often explores the overlap between research into parapsychology, psychopharmacology, anthropology and magical beliefs, such as shamanism. His publications have appeared as chapters in several scholarly books and in periodicals such as the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, the Journal of Parapsychology, theParanormal Review, Mindfield: Bulletin of the Parapsychologcal Association, Paranthropology: Journal of Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal, Time & Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness & Culture, Fortean Times, Dark Lore, The Cauldron: Witchcraft, Paganism and Folklore, Journal for the Academic Study of Magic, Silver Star: A Journal of New Magick, Bulletin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, Entheogen Review: Journal of Research on Visionary Plants and Drugs,Drugs and Alcohol Today, and Strange Attractor Journal.
Not yet having published one, currently he is working on three books, which are due to appear in 2012. The first of which is Anomalistic Psychology, a text book for A level and undergraduate students.
In 2009 he was elected President of the Parapsychological Association and was co-opted to the Council of theSociety for Psychical Research. Currently he is also Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich, London, where he was recently given the Early Career Research Excellence Award.
For further details and publications see: http://www.gre.ac.uk/schools/health/contact/staff/pc/dr-david-luke