Our Members

Leadership & Research

The Ic² Research Institute is currently led by its founder, with infrastructure in place to support collaborative research as the team grows.

Michael K. Baines

Founder & Lead Researcher

ORCID: 0009-0001-8084-3870

Research Focus:

COSMIC Framework Development
Information Physics & Cosmology
Cognitive Augmentation Systems
Consciousness Studies

Background:

Theoretical Physicist
Aerospace Engineer
Author: "A Quest for The Big TOE"

View Full Bio →

Membership Structure

We welcome contributors at all levels—from PhD researchers leading projects to skilled professionals providing support to observers following our progress.

Research Members

PhD-level researchers who lead programs

Act as program managers and project leads
Recruit and manage project teams
Direct research initiatives
Retain 100% rights to work
Publish under institute or independently
Access collaborative resources

Support Members

Professionals providing essential services

Artists, designers, developers
Writers, editors, communicators
Administrative and secretarial support
Legal, accounting, operations
Work on assignments from leads
Virtual and flexible engagement
Retain full rights to creative work

Observers

Press, interested parties, and community

Read-only access to projects
Receive research updates
Invites to online meetings
Participate in open discussions
Complete transparency
Open to all site members
Includes press and media

How It Works

Research Members (PhDs) lead projects and recruit team members for their initiatives. They have full autonomy to assemble teams from Support Members and assign tasks as needed.

Support Members contribute their professional skills to research projects. While primarily virtual, leads may organize in-person collaborations for their teams.

Observers stay informed about all research activities, receive regular updates, and are invited to participate in public discussions and online meetings.

All members must sign up through the membership application process, regardless of their role or how they were recruited. This ensures transparency and proper coordination across all projects.