The 2017 Mind & Life Summer Research Institute gives attention to scientific, humanistic and first-person contemplative perspectives on intersubjectivity and social connectivity. Plenary presentations, workshops and small group discussions explore interrelational human dynamics, including how we relate to ourselves and others, and to community and strangers. Faculty from across a multitude of disciplines present research findings on the meditative cultivation of pro-social emotions, intergroup dynamics, social and embodied cognition, cognitive ecology, implicit bias and social justice. We examine how these experiences are embodied in the brain, nervous system and cellular health. By deepening inquiry through this weeklong interdisciplinary exploration, we investigate ways in which social and cultural histories shape the mind-body complex, subjective and collective values, beliefs, and purpose in life. Discussions will highlight scientific research on the interconnectivity of mind and physiological health, as well as environmental and technological influences on interpersonal connections and social cognition. Training workshops engage participants in facilitated trainings on critical issues in transdisciplinary research methods as well as social diversity and inclusion in the contemplative sciences.
Program Sessions
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
The Enactive Approach to Cognition
Evan Thompson
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
The Other as Part of the Self: Empathy, Understanding and Support
Jim Coan
Topics: Interconnection | Mental Health | Self & Other | Stress & Resilience
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Advancing Prosocial Interactions on Facebook Through Interdisciplinary Research
Pete Fleming
Topics: Interconnection | Self & Other | Social Change
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Interdisciplinary Panel Social Networks: Intersubjectivity, Connectivity and Technology
Moderators: Elissa Epel
Panel: Pete Fleming, David Sbarra, Tania Singer, Elissa Epel
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Interconnection | Self & Other
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Plenary Workshop What Roles Do Inclusivity and Social Justice Play in Contemplative Science?
Peter Grossenbacher, Rhonda Magee
Topics: Social Change
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Plasticity of the Social Brain: Effects of a One-year Mental Training Study on Social Connectedness, Compassion, Theory of Mind, Social Stress, and the Body
Tania Singer
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Compassion & Empathy | Interconnection | Mindfulness | Self & Other | Stress & Resilience
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Interdependency: the Buddha’s Central Insight
William Waldron
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Part I – Transdisciplinary Research
Evan Thompson, Michael Lifshitz, Elizaveta Solomonova, Lis Nielsen
Topics: Education | Interconnection
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
STEMing the Tide: How Female Experts and Peers Foster Social Connections and Serve as “Social Vaccines” to Protect Young Women’s Self-Concept in STEM
Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta
Topics: Interconnection | Self & Other | Social Change
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Love and Enaction: Towards an Engaged Epistemology
Hanne De Jaegher
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Interconnection | Self & Other
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Part II – Transdisciplinary Research
Michael Lifshitz, Wendy Weber, Clifford Saron, Elizaveta Solomonova
Topics: Education | Interconnection
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Social Connectivity, Mind States, and Biological Aging
Elissa Epel
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Interconnection | Mental Health | Stress & Resilience
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Intersubjectivity and Social Connectivity: Deepening the Work of Putting Contemplative Studies and Science In Context
Rhonda Magee
Topics: Interconnection | Social Change
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Relationships, Health, and Technology: Toward an Evolutionary Mismatch?
David Sbarra
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Interconnection | Mental Health
2017 Summer Research Institute Session
Interdisciplinary Panel Human Relations: From Implicit Biases to Compassion for Strangers
Moderators: Rhonda Magee
Panel: Jim Coan, Hanne De Jaegher, Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta, Rhonda Magee
Topics: Interconnection | Mental Health
Plenary Faculty
Plenary faculty deliver lectures and are available to answer attendee questions throughout the week, often leading breakout sessions and participating in panel discussions. Their lectures expand on the week’s theme, deepening and broadening our shared knowledge from a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and disciplines.
Jim Coan, PhD
University of Virginia
James Coan, PhD (CoInvestigator) is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. His work seeks to uncover the neural mechanisms of emotion and social behavior, with an emphasis … MORE
Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta, PhD
University of Massachusetts–Amherst
Fellow, Planning Committee Member, Research and Programs Council Member
Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta is Professor of Psychology and the Director of Faculty Equity and Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. Her research is on implicit bias. Whereas past work had … MORE
Hanne De Jaegher
University of the Basque Country
Convening Faculty
Hanne De Jaegher (DPhil, 2007, University of Sussex) is a philosopher of cognitive science fascinated by how we think, work, play—basically, live and love—together. She developed the theory of intersubjectivity … MORE
Elissa Epel, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member, Reviewer
Elissa Epel, Ph.D, is a Professor, and Vice Chair, in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, at University of California, San Francisco. She studies psychological, social, and behavioral pathways … MORE
Peter Grossenbacher, PhD
Naropa University
Reviewer
After graduating from the University of California–Berkeley in mathematics and cognitive science, Peter Grossenbacher’s doctorate at the University of Oregon in experimental psychology focused on human electrophysiology and attention. His … MORE
Rhonda Magee, JD
University of San Francisco
Mentor
An internationally-sought-after mindfulness teacher and keynote speaker, and a thought and practice innovator of mindfulness-based social justice principles, concepts and practices, Rhonda V. Magee, M.A., J.D., is Professor of Law … MORE
David Sbarra, PhD
University of Arizona
David Sbarra, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona where he directs the Laboratory for Social Connectedness and Health. His research focuses on understanding why close … MORE
Tania Singer, PhD
Fellow
Tania Singer is a professor of social neuroscience and psychology and heads the Max Planck Society’s Social Neuroscience Lab in Berlin, Germany. After her PhD in psychology at the Max-Planck-Institute … MORE
Evan Thompson, PhD
University of British Columbia
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Reviewer
Evan Thompson is a writer and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where he is also an Associate Member of the Department of Asian Studies and the … MORE
William Waldron, PhD
Middlebury College
William Waldron teaches courses on the South Asian religious traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, Tibetan religion and history, comparative psychologies and philosophies of mind, and theory and method in the … MORE
Contemplative Faculty
Contemplative faculty guide participants through practices that integrate their first-person knowledge with themes being explored, interspersing contemplative practice sessions with free time for personal reflection. In addition to daily practice, the contemplative faculty lead the retreat time.
Jessica Morey
Inward Bound Mindfulness
Jessica Morey is the executive director, lead teacher and cofounder of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme), a nonprofit organization that offers mindfulness meditation retreats for teens, young adults and parents … MORE
Thupten Dorje Gyaltsen Rinpoche, Lama
Urgyen Samten Ling Gonpa
Lama Thupten Dorje Gyaltsen Rinpoche (Jerry Gardner) has studied the Buddhist Dharma for over 45 years with an emphasis in the Long-chen Nying Thig tradition of the Nyingma sect and … MORE
Catherine Shaddix, PhD
Catherine Shaddix, PhD began her training in Buddhist meditation and hatha yoga in 1991. She is greatly fortunate to have studied under Tsoknyi Rinpoche for the past 12 years, as … MORE
Peter Wayne, PhD
Harvard Medical School
Convening Faculty, Fellow
Peter Wayne, PhD, is a researcher and practitioner in the field of mind-body and integrative medicine. Dr. Wayne is the Bernard Osher Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School … MORE
Discussants
Discussants and group facilitators lead or co-lead a variety of small group sessions, which may include presentations, group dialogue, open question and answer sessions, or tutorials. They may also participate in panel discussions and meet with attendees individually.
Pete Fleming, MBA
Louis Komjathy, PhD, CSO
University of San Diego
Lis Nielsen, PhD
National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health
Clifford Saron, PhD
University of California, Davis
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member
Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH
National Institutes of Health
Special Guest
James Austin, MD
University of Colorado Medical School (emeritus)
Program Planning Committee
The Program Planning Committee (PPC) is a committee of invited specialists from diverse disciplines and perspectives who bring their expertise to curate and produce the content for the Summer Research Institute. In addition to developing the overall theme and narrative arc of the program, the PPC actively participate in SRI and serve as leader for small group discussions. Elissa Epel and Michael Sheehy are co-chairs of this year’s Program Planning Committee.
Elissa Epel, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member, Reviewer
About the Summer Research Institute
The purpose of the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute is to advance collaborative research among scientists, contemplative scholars, other humanities scholars, and contemplative practitioners, based on a process of inquiry and dialogue. With this unique program, we are not only nurturing a new generation of scientists interested in exploring the influence of contemplative practice and meditation on mind, behavior, brain function and health, but are also fostering the development of nascent research fields collectively referred to as “contemplative studies” (including contemplative neuroscience, contemplative clinical science, contemplative education, and contemplative scholarship).
