Our team

Human Progress Foundation is run by a small board and staff covering editorial review, research, and operations. Published articles name who wrote and reviewed them.

Dr Chris Kerala Varma

Director

Leads editorial review and foundation strategy. Articles may be written or reviewed by Chris or other staff; each post names who wrote and reviewed it.

Dr Thomas James Davies

Philosophy of Mind

Philosopher of mind and metaphysics. He earned his PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2024 with a thesis on causation and non-reductive physicalism, covering mental causation, the exclusion argument, and multiple realisability. His work helps the foundation reason carefully about consciousness, the minds of other species, and what scientific findings mean for human dignity.

Ben Dawson

Operations Lead

Voting board member and Operations Lead since January 2025. He leads government and diaspora outreach for the foundation's cultural heritage programme, handles US nonprofit compliance (IRS filings, EIN, state registration), and runs due diligence on nominated local causes before grants go out. He helped secure PayPal Giving Fund approval and Google advertising grant access worth up to £150,000 a year. A FIFA and FA licensed football agent for more than a decade, he managed player transfers exceeding £50m and more than 60 professional and commercial contracts.

More team profiles will be added as we grow. Interested in collaborating? Get in touch.