James Fallon is an American neuroscientist specializing in consciousness, creativity, and the ways in which the brain relates to art, law, and violence. He has made significant contributions to the studies of schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stem cells, and psychopathy. Some of his most recent work has explored the minds of psychopathic killers. He is a professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine, and sits on the boards of several national think tanks in the fields of science, biotechnology, the arts, and the military. Fallon is also a Sloan Scholar, Fulbright Fellow, and National Institute of Health Career Awardee. In 2005, he inadvertently discovered, through routine lab research, that he personally possessed the genetic characteristics of a psychopath. He recounts this discovery in his oft-cited book, “The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain.”
