Brenda J. Dunne
Brenda J. Dunne | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Mundelein College; University of Chicago |
| Known for | Laboratory manager of the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) program |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychology; parapsychology |
| Institutions | Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR); International Consciousness Research Laboratories |
Brenda J. Dunne (1944–2022) was a developmental psychologist and parapsychology researcher known for her long association with the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory. She is listed in The Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists.
Career
Dunne studied psychology and the humanities at Mundelein College in Chicago and earned an M.S. in human development from the University of Chicago. In 1979 she joined engineer Robert G. Jahn to help establish the PEAR laboratory in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University, where she served as laboratory manager for the program's entire run until its closure in 2007. After PEAR closed she continued this work as president of the International Consciousness Research Laboratories (ICRL), and she was long associated with the Society for Scientific Exploration.
Work
At PEAR, Dunne and Jahn investigated claimed anomalous interactions between human consciousness and physical systems, including experiments testing whether human intention could influence the output of random event generators, as well as remote-perception studies. She developed theoretical frameworks describing these purported "mind/matter manifestations." The PEAR program's claims of consciousness-related anomalies are not accepted by mainstream physics or psychology, and its methods and conclusions have been the subject of considerable criticism.