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Arthur Zajonc, President Arthur is also the Andrew Mellon professor of physics and interdisciplinary studies at Amherst College, where he has taught since 1978. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Michigan. He has been visiting professor and research scientist at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, and the universities of Rochester, and Hannover. He has been Fulbright professor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. His research has included studies in electron-atom physics, parity violation in atoms, quantum optics, the experimental foundations of quantum physics, and the relationship between science, the humanities and the contemplative traditions. He has written extensively on Goethe’s science work. He is author of the book: Catching the Light, co-author of The Quantum Challenge, and co-editor of Goethe’s Way of Science. In 1997 he served as scientific coordinator for the Mind and Life dialogue published as The New Physics and Cosmology: Dialogues with the Dalai Lama. He again organized the 2002 dialogue with the Dalai Lama, “The Nature of Matter, the Nature of Life,” and acted as moderator at MIT for the “Investigating the Mind” Mind and Life dialogue in 2003. The proceedings of the Mind and Life-MIT meeting were published under the title The Dalai Lama at MIT. He currently directs the Academic Program of the Center for Contemplative Mind which supports appropriate inclusion of contemplative practice in higher education. Out of this work and his long-standing meditative practice, Zajonc has authored Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry: When Knowing Becomes Love. He has co-authored a book with Parker Palmer, The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal. Zajonc blogs for Psychology Today on meditation. He has also been General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America, a co-founder of the Kira Institute, president of the Lindisfarne Association, and a senior program director at the Fetzer Institute. |
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Diego Hangartner, Chief Operations Officer and Head of ML International Diego completed his studies in pharmacology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, specializing in psychotherapeutic and psychoactive substances. Having worked with drug addiction, he became interested in understanding the workings of mind and consciousness. After encountering Buddhism, he then spent 11 years in Dharamsala, India, where he first learned Tibetan and then studied for 7 years at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. During those years, he did several retreats and worked as a translator and interpreter, translating Tibetan into English, German, French and Spanish. After returning to Europe in 2003, he taught widely, was General Secretary and project manager of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visits in Switzerland 2005 and in Hamburg 2007. He has been associated with Mind & Life Institute since the late 1990s. Presently, he is the Chief Operations Officer and Head of ML International. |
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Alfred W. Kaszniak, Chief Academic Officer Alfred W. Kaszniak received his Ph.D. in clinical and developmental psychology from the University of Illinois in 1976, and completed an internship in clinical neuropsychology at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. He is also currently Head of the Department of Psychology, Director of Clinical Neuropsychology, Director of the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium Education Core, and a professor in the departments of psychology, neurology, and psychiatry at The University of Arizona. His research, published in over 150 journal articles, chapters and books, has been supported by grants from the NIH, NIMH, and several private foundations. His work has focused on the neuropsychology of Alzheimer’s disease, age-related neurological disorders, memory self-monitoring, and the biological bases of emotion,and emotion response and regulation in long-term meditators. Dr. Kaszniak has served on the editorial boards of several journals in neuropsychology and the psychology of aging, has been an advisor to several national institutes and agencies concerned with aging and Alzheimer’s disease. He is a Past-President of the Section on Clinical Geropsychology of the American Psychological Association. |
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Heather Callahan Locke, M.A., Program Manager Heather assists in the planning and management of content-related aspects of Mind & Life Institute meetings and conferences. These include the Dharamsala meetings, the Mind & Life Institute Education Research Network, Educating World Citizens in Washington, DC, Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems in Zurich 2010 and Benefits of Contemplative Practices in New Delhi 2010. Heather’s professional background is in project management for the social sciences where she directed a survey project for 7 years. Heather’s experience is in project development, management, technical support, team management and coordination, planning and presentations. She holds an M.A. in Religious Studies from University of Colorado, Boulder, CO and a B.A. in Religion and French, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. Heather has a thorough background in comparative religious traditions, with an emphasis in Hindu and Buddhist traditions and meditation practices and speaks rusty but fluent French. She is a Buddhist practitioner, meditation instructor and an abstract painter. |
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Chris O’Brien, Development and Communications Officer Chris brings two decades of marketing, communications and journalism experience as well as a decade of nonprofit development experience. Recently, Chris acted as Development Officer – Grants at Arapahoe House in Denver, CO. Chris was also a co-founder and General Operations Manager of The World Hope Foundation, a Boulder-based grassroots nonprofit dedicated to facilitating cross-cultural education solutions on Native American reservations. Chris holds a degree in Communications and is personally aligned with the mission and vision of the Mind & Life Institute. Chris is an avid hiker and outdoorsman, and pursues both a meditation practice as well as traditional Native American spirituality. |
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Angela Teng, Program Manager Angela assists in the planning and management of content-related aspects of the Summer Research Institute and the Varela awards. Angela’s background includes 7 years of administrative and management experience in the non-profit sector, primarily in renewable resources, clean energy, Holistic and Traditional Chinese medicine. Angela received her B.A. in Cognitive Science from University of California, Berkeley, and holds a license from the State of Oregon in Massage Therapy. She is a practitioner of universal truths with Eastern traditions and Tantra Yoga as guidance, speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin. She is an avid rock and ice climber, cyclist, and world traveler. |
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Dave Womack, Program Manager Dave moved to Boulder from Miami, Florida where he worked in both development and communications at the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, most recently as the Online Marketing and Advocacy Manager. Dave brings his technological and contemplative experience to the Mind & Life Institute. He received a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. He is an avid hiker, climber and rafter. |
