Paco Calvo
▶ Keynote Speaker and Panelist
Prof. Dr. Paco Calvo is a leading cognitive scientist and philosopher of biology whose research explores the fundamental principles of intelligence beyond the animal kingdom. As a pioneering figure in the emerging field of plant cognition, his work challenges long-standing assumptions about the boundaries of mind and behavior by investigating how plants perceive, learn from, and adapt to their environments. Bridging philosophy, biology, and cognitive science, Calvo’s research offers a radically expanded view of intelligence as a property of living systems more broadly.
A central innovation of his work lies in applying conceptual and experimental tools from animal cognition to plants. Through the study of plant signaling, learning, and decision-making, he has demonstrated that plants can anticipate environmental changes, integrate information across multiple sources, and flexibly adjust their growth strategies. His lab employs techniques such as time-lapse imaging to reveal how plants navigate space, compete for resources, and exhibit forms of memory and behavioral plasticity. This approach provides a powerful framework for investigating minimal cognition and rethinking intelligence as an embodied, ecological process.
Paco Calvo is Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Murcia, where he leads the Minimal Intelligence Lab (MINT Lab), an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to studying cognition in its simplest biological forms. His work spans plant neurobiology, ecological psychology, and embodied cognitive science, with implications for fields ranging from artificial intelligence to robotics and environmental ethics.
He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow in 2000 and has since built an international research profile supported by institutions such as the Fulbright Program and the British Council. His career includes collaborations with leading research centers, including the University of Edinburgh, where he conducted research on plant sciences and cognition during a sabbatical.
Calvo has published extensively in journals such as Trends in Plant Science, Plant, Cell & Environment, and Frontiers in Robotics and AI, and has edited influential volumes including The Handbook of Cognitive Science: An Embodied Approach and The Architecture of Cognition. His recent book, Planta Sapiens, brings his research to a broader audience, offering a compelling account of plant intelligence and redefining how we understand cognition, agency, and life itself.
