About - Psilonautica

Our Global Team

Founder & CEO

James Bunn

James helps organisations in both the psychedelic and cannabis space run smoothly, managing operations, communications, and the messy bits in between.

James's background in law means he knows what the rules are and how best to navigate the regulations, while his hands-on experience covers everything from team leadership to public relations and digital marketing.

James cares about doing work that matters, whether that's improving harm reduction efforts, making systems more efficient, or helping teams collaborate better. If you're working in this space and need practical support, he'd love to hear from you.

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Dr Eddie Jacobs

Ethicist

Dr. Eddie Jacobs completed his PhD in psychedelic therapy ethics at Oxford University and currently works as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. Since 2019, he has provided ethics consultation and audits, protocol review, and regulatory support to organisations across the psychedelic value chain. He led the development of the Hopkins-Oxford Psychedelics Ethics (HOPE) Consensus Statement and has contributed to regulatory submissions, policy reports, and clinical trial design.

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Dr Rayyan Zafar

Psychopharmacologist

Dr. Rayyan Zafar is a neuropsychopharmacologist and postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London. His work explores the neurobiology of substance use and behavioural addictions, with a particular focus on how psychedelic therapies and medical cannabis can support addiction treatment and recovery. Rayyan currently serves as a Senior Research Officer at Drug Science, as well as a research advisor to ITER Investments and several psychedelic and cannabis-focused biotech firms and clinics.

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Tali Avron

Clinical Trial Manager

Tali Avron is a Clinical Research Manager with over 15 years of experience leading trials across diverse therapeutic areas, with a strong focus on mental health and psychedelic-assisted therapies. She has managed end-to-end clinical programs for pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and biotech startups, overseeing all stages from design to execution. Her work bridges scientific rigor with real-world innovation, advancing evidence-based approaches to transformative mental-health care.

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Lucas McHugh

Business Strategy Advisor

Lucas McHugh has spent 25 years working with early stage companies and investments. His skills combine investment, strategic advice, fundraising and business development. As an entrepreneur he has helped build, develop and scale many companies. Lucas has a deep and long running interest in ancient and indigenous wisdom, natural psychedelics, health and well being. His mission is to bridge ancient wisdom, modern science and investment.

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Luke Strong

Digital Specialist

Luke Strong supports digital strategy, content creation, and communications for clients across the global psychedelic ecosystem. His work spans SEO, website development, and creative campaigns that advance public understanding and policy reform in psychedelics. With a background in philosophy and policy research, Luke brings both an analytical and creative approach to digital storytelling, ensuring content is both impactful and informed.

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Aleksandra Pałaszewska, M.A.

Editorial & Communications Specialist

Aleksandra Pałaszewska is a Cultural Studies MA and certified phytotherapist with an award-winning thesis on decolonizing psychedelic science and publications on Indigenous rights and knowledge systems. From 2020–2024, she managed public- and mental-health/harm-reduction projects at the Polish Drug Policy Network and collaborated with the Polish Psychedelic Society as editor-in-chief of its newsletter and social media manager.

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Ryan Khan

Research and Events Specialist

Ryan Khan is a Research Assistant at Pneuma Science and is currently completing his MSc in Psychedelics at the University of Exeter. His work spans clinical research, science communications, policy reform and psychedelic events. Ryan is passionate about embedding reciprocity and harm reduction into the psychedelic space and generating research, educational materials and events to explore the transdiagnostic potential of psychedelic medicines.

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Finn Laslett

Communications Specialist

Finn is a science communicator with a background combining art and life sciences. He is skilled in copywriting, graphic design, video editing and filmmaking, and has research experience in neuroscience and synthetic biology. Since starting work in psychedelics in 2024, his mission has been to close the gap between the industry and the public and help build a consensus about the future of drug policy.

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Libby Furminger

Digital Consultant

Libby Furminger is a digital consultant and communications specialist with over five years of experience in social media management, web design, content writing and multimedia production. She has worked in substance use services in recent years. Libby also has experience in event planning and coordination, alongside hosting and editing podcast content. She is currently Project Lead at the British Hemp Alliance.

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Building a Thriving Psychedelic Industry

Achieve Your Goals with Our Expertise

Our Approach

Our Global Team

James Bunn

Dr Eddie Jacobs

Dr Rayyan Zafar

Tali Avron

Lucas McHugh

Luke Strong

Aleksandra Pałaszewska, M.A.

Ryan Khan

Finn Laslett

Libby Furminger

Let's help you achieve your goals.