Plenary Faculty and Discussants
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. The faculty includes scientists, clinical researchers, contemplative practitioners, scholars, and teachers from a variety of disciplines.
His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the head of the 900 year old Karma Kagyu Lineage and guide to millions of Buddhists around the world. Born … MORE
Christiana Figueres
Global Climate Leader
Convening Faculty
Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican citizen and an internationally recognized leader on climate change. She was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from … MORE
Vandana Shiva, PhD
Founder, Navdanya
Convening Faculty
Dr. Vandana Shiva is trained as a Physicist and did her Ph.D. on the subject “Hidden Variables and Non-locality in Quantum Theory” from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. … MORE
Matthieu Ricard, PhD
Karuna-shechen
Convening Faculty, Fellow
Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D., is a Buddhist monk at Schechen Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. Born in France in 1946, he received his Ph.D. in Cellular Genetics at the Institut Pasteur under … MORE
Carolyn Finney, PhD
Middlebury College
Convening Faculty
Carolyn Finney, PhD is a storyteller, author and a cultural geographer. The aim of her work is to develop greater cultural competency within environmental organizations and institutions, challenge media outlets … MORE
Dekila Chungyalpa
Loka Initiative, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Convening Faculty, PPC Member
Dekila Chungyalpa is the director of a new and innovative education and outreach program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for faith leaders and religious institutions. Known as the Loka Initiative, … MORE
Elke Weber, PhD
Princeton University
Convening Faculty
Elke Weber is the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment and Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs at Princeton University and founder and director of the Behavioral … MORE
Elissa Epel, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Convening Faculty, Fellow, PPC Member
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
Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD
Upaya Zen Center
Convening Faculty, Fellow
Roshi Joan Halifax is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care. She is Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya Institute and Zen … MORE
Barbara (Bobbi) Patterson, PhD
Emory University
Convening Faculty, Fellow, PPC Member
Bobbi Patterson’s scholarship focuses on lived religion and place, human and earth ecosystems, and pedagogy, particularly those involving community-based partnerships. Her scholarly training and teaching engages Christian and Buddhist contemplative … MORE
Kyle Whyte, PhD
University of Michigan
Convening Faculty
Kyle Whyte is George Willis Pack Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. Previously, Kyle was Professor of Philosophy and Community Sustainability and Timnick Chair at Michigan … MORE
Christine Wamsler, PhD
Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS)
Convening Faculty
Christine Wamsler is Professor of Sustainability Science and director of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program. The aim of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program is to create space and opportunities for … MORE
Katharine Hayhoe, PhD
Texas Tech University
Convening Faculty
Katharine Hayhoe is an accomplished atmospheric scientist who studies climate change and why it matters to us here and now. She is also a remarkable communicator who has received the … MORE
Evan Thompson, PhD
University of British Columbia
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee
Evan Thompson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. He studies the mind, life, consciousness, and the self, from the perspectives of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, … MORE
Oladosu Adenike Titilope
Discussant
Oladosu Adenike Titilope is an eco-feminist and a climate justice activist; an advocate for the restoration of Lake Chad for sustainable development and regional stability. In 2019, she became the … MORE
Bruce Barrett, MD, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Convening Faculty, PPC Member
Bruce Barrett is Professor and Vice Chair for Research in Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Following M.D. and Ph.D. (Anthropology) degrees in … MORE
Felipe Jain, MD
Harvard Medical School
Discussant
Dr. Felipe Jain, MD, is Director of Healthy Aging Studies at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Depression Clinical and Research Program. He is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, … MORE
Contemplative Faculty
Contemplative faculty guide participants through practices that integrate their first-person experience with themes being explored, interspersing contemplative art and practice sessions with free time for personal reflection. In addition to daily practice, the contemplative faculty lead the retreat time.
Kaira Jewel Lingo
Convening Faculty
Kaira graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. and M.A. in Anthropology and Social Sciences and teaches Buddhist meditation, mindfulness, and compassion internationally, with a focus on activists, people of … MORE
Willa Blythe Baker, PhD
Natural Dharma Fellowship
Convening Faculty
Lama Willa Blythe Baker, PhD, is the Founder and Spiritual Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, MA and its retreat center Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. She was … 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
Kelley Nicole Palmer
Convening Faculty
Kelley Nicole Palmer is a black, queer creative and community advocate based in Charlotte NC. Kelley uses the practices and philosophy of yoga to guide her work in creating equitable … MORE
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 of the conference. In addition to developing the overall theme and narrative arc of the program, the members of the PPC actively participate and serve in leadership roles throughout the conference. The PPC members for SRI 2021 are Bobbi Patterson (co-chair), Elissa Epel (co-chair), Dekila Chungyalpa and Bruce Barrett.