Mind & Life Fellows are distinguished leaders in their respective field who have made significant contributions to the mission and vision of the Mind & Life Institute and more broadly to contemplative sciences, studies and practice through her/his scholarship, activities and influence.
History
Inaugurated in 2009, the first Fellows were given their designation based on contributions to Mind & Life programs. Since that time and with the growth of our field, Fellowship has matured beyond a simple designation. Today, the Mind & Life Fellows Program is a formal effort to mobilize and engage a global network of notable scientists, scholars, changemakers and contemplative practitioners. Fellows represent diverse disciplines, sectors and traditions, though all are aligned with the Mind & Life Institute’s mission, vision and core values.
What is a Mind & Life Fellow?
Fellows are selected for this honor based on their exemplary work and are not required to fulfill specific duties, yet are encouraged to support and serve Mind & Life in ways that meaningfully resonate. Most importantly, Fellows provide critical insight and service to Mind & Life programs, communications, and community-building initiatives.
Types of Mind & Life Fellows
- Research Fellow – A researcher—scientific (basic, clinical or social sciences) or humanistic scholar—engaged in contemplative sciences and/or studies.
- Changemaker Fellow– A thought leader or changemaker who facilitates application of contemplative interventions into real-world settings.
- Contemplative Fellow – A contemplative teacher and practitioner who engages in dialogue with scientists and scholars.
Principles of the Fellows Program
- Honorary fellowship to select group of experts from multiple disciplines who have contributed significantly to the Mind & Life mission and broader community.
- Service in the Fellows Program is strictly voluntary.
- Fellows are tenured for life.
- No formal time commitment is required of Fellows, unless a Fellow is asked to join a specific Mind & Life program or activity, for which time expectations are delineated.
Benefits of Being a Mind & Life Fellow
- Engage and collaborate with a global network of influential leaders committed to contemplative scholarship and practice.
- Meet and mentor other contemplative scientists, scholars and practitioners.
- Receive recognition and have your work highlighted in Mind & Life communications.
Eligibility Criteria to be a Mind & Life Fellow
- Has made significant contributions as a researcher, changemaker or a contemplative to the mission and vision of the Mind & Life Institute and more broadly to contemplative sciences, studies and practice through her/his scholarship, activities and influence. The nominee, for example:
- Has directly or indirectly contributed to the field of contemplative sciences through studies and publications demonstrating significant or novel theoretical, experimental or action-based research.
- Has been involved in or pioneered contemplative wisdom based action in a community or a global scale.
- Has intentionally and explicitly set out to diversify the demographic reach of contemplative sciences and practices. Has championed the integration of values of equity, diversity and inclusion in their contemplative action or research.
- Is or has been involved with the Mind & Life Institute extensively in any of the following capacities.
- Has been an invited presenter at a Mind & Life program. Invited presenters include plenary faculty, contemplative faculty, discussants, artists, etc.
- Has served as a member of a Mind & Life Institute committee (Program Planning Committee, Grant Review, Steering Council, Board, SRI Review Committee, etc.).
- Has partnered or collaborated on a Mind & Life program or grant.
- Exemplifies qualities that align with the Mind & Life mission, vision, and core values (compassion, integrity, curiosity, inclusion and excellence).
Nominating a New Fellow
The Mind & Life Institute is committed to building a rigorous community of interdisciplinary contemplatives, scholars and scientists which depends upon diversity of perspectives and experiences. Candidates for Mind & Life Fellows are nominated by current fellows and are from diverse backgrounds, i.e. various races, ethnicities, genders, ages, faith traditions and spiritual orientations, physical abilities, geographic locations, and academic and professional disciplines.
Please note that only current Mind & Life Fellows and staff members at the Mind & Life Institute are eligible to nominate others who meet the criteria for being a Fellow. Mind & Life Fellows are encouraged to nominate new Fellows who would contribute to the diverse global network of distinguished Mind & Life Fellows across the three different types of fellowship: Research, Changemaker and Contemplative using this form. Nominations for 2021 Fellows will open on October 18, 2021 and close on November 19, 2021.
If you have any suggestions or questions regarding these revisions to the Fellows program, or about future directions of the program, please direct your query to fellows@mindandlife.org.
Current Mind & Life Fellows
Adam Anderson, Ph.D.
Cornell University
Elena Antonova, Ph.D.
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
Joanna Arch, Ph.D.
University of Colorado–Boulder
James Austin, Ph.D.
Anthony Back, M.D.
University of Washington
Daniel Barbezat, Ph.D.
Amherst College
Larry Barsalou, Ph.D.
University of Glasgow, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology
Dan Batson, Ph.D.
University of Kansas (retired)
Susan Bauer-Wu, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN
Mind & Life Institute, President
Peter Baumann
The Baumann Foundation
Kent Berridge, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Mark Bertolini, MBA
Former Chairman, Aetna Inc.
Michel Bitbol, Ph.D.
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
Bhikkhu Bodhi, Ph.D.
The Bodhi Monastery
Sarah Bowen, Ph.D.
Pacific University
Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Ph.D.
West Virginia University
Judson Brewer, M.D., Ph.D.
Brown University
Willoughby Britton, Ph.D.
Brown University
John Canti, M.A., M.B., B.Chir.
Tsadra Foundation
Linda Carlson, Ph.D.
University of Calgary, Canada
Ram-Prasad Chakravarthi, D.Phil.
Lancaster University, UK
Doris Chang, Ph.D.
New York University
Alejandro Chaoul, Ph.D.
Jung Center’s Mind Body Spirit Institute
Diana Chapman Walsh, Ph.D.
Wellesley College, President Emerita
Khen Rinpoche Jangchup Choeden, Abbot
Gaden Shartse Monastery, India
Kalina Christoff, Ph.D.
University of British Columbia, Canada
John Christopher, Ph.D.
Independent
George P. Chrousos, M.D.
University of Athens Medical School, Greece
Dekila Chungyalpa, M.A.
World Wildlife Fund
Yale University 2014 McCluskey Fellow
Jim Coan, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Paul Condon, Ph.D.
Southern Oregon University
Lisette Cooper, Ph.D.
Athena Capital Advisors
J. David Creswell, Ph.D.
Carnegie Mellon University
Geshe Dorji Damdul, Geshe
Tibet House, India
Nilanjana “Buju” Dasgupta, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Richard Davidson, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Martin Davidson, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Marc-Henri Deroche, Ph.D.
Kyoto University
Gaelle Desbordes, Ph.D.
Mind & Life Institute
Sona Dimidjian, Ph.D.
University of Colorado
James R. Doty, M.D.
Stanford University
Andrew Dreitcer, Ph.D.
Claremont School of Theology
Georges Dreyfus, Ph.D.
Williams College
John Dunne, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
John Durant, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Jacquelynne Eccles, Ph.D.
University of California–Irvine
Stuart Eisendrath, M.D.
University of California-San Francisco
Paul Ekman, Ph.D.
University of California–San Francisco, (retired);
Paul Ekman Group (PEG), LLC
Eve Ekman, Ph. D.
University of California- San Francisco
Adam Engle
Mind & Life Institute, President Emeritus
Elissa Epel, Ph.D.
University of California–San Francisco
Monique Ernst, Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health
Michael Eze, Ph.D.
University of Cambridge, University of Amsterdam
Norman Farb, Ph.D.
University of Toronto, Canada
Wendy Farley, Ph.D.
San Francisco Theological Seminary
Ernst Fehr, Ph.D.
University of Zurich, Switzerland
Lisa Feldman Barrett, Ph.D.
Northeastern University
Brent Field, Ph.D.
Princeton University
Wulstan Fletcher
Tsadra Foundation
Vibeke Asmussen Frank, Ph.D.
Aarhus University, Denmark
Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D.
University of North Carolina
Richard Freeman
Yoga Workshop
David Fresco, Ph.D.
Kent State University
Rahul Garg, Ph.D.
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
Eric Garland, Ph.D.
University of Utah College of Social Work
Raymond L. Gellein, Jr., M.B.A.
Mind & Life Institute, Vice Chair, Treasurer
Bill George, M.B.A.
Harvard Business School
David Germano, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Rupert Gethin, Ph.D.
University of Bristol, UK
Philippe Goldin, Ph.D.
University of California, Davis
Joseph Goldstein
Insight Meditation Society
Daniel Goleman, Ph.D.
Psychologist, Author
Sherryl Goodman, Ph.D.
Emory University
Marcia Grabowecky, Ph.D.
Northwestern University
Mark Greenberg, Ph.D.
Penn State University
Peter Grossenbacher, Ph.D.
Naropa University
Paul Grossman, Ph.D.
University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
Tho Ha Vinh, Ph.D.
Gross National Happiness Centre, Bhutan
Joan Halifax, Ph.D., Roshi
Upaya Zen Center
Diego Hangartner, PharmD
Institute of Mental Balance and Universal Ethics
Bill Harbaugh, Ph.D.
University of Oregon
Anne Harrington, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Wendy Hasenkamp, Ph.D.
Mind & Life Institute
Maria Heim, Ph.D.
Amherst College
Barry Hershey, M.F.A.
Filmmaker
Zara Houshmand
Author, Translator
Yoshiro Imaeda, Ph.D.
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
Daniel Irurah, Ph.D.
University of the Witwatersrand
Carolyn Jacobs, Ph.D.
Dean Emerita, Smith School for Social Work
Patricia (Tish) Jennings, Ph.D.
University of Virginia
Amishi Jha, Ph.D.
University of Miami
Thupten Jinpa Langri, Ph.D.
Institute for Tibetan Classics, Canada
Mind & Life Institute, Chair
Bryce Johnson, Ph.D.
Exploratorium
Grant Jones
Harvard University, Black Lotus Collective
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Rajesh Kasturirangan, Ph.D.
National Institute of Advanced Studies, India
Al Kaszniak, Ph.D.
University of Arizona
Catherine Kerr, Ph.D. (Deceased)
Brown University
Barry Kerzin
Altruism in Medicine Institute
Shinobu Kitayama, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Anne Klein, Ph.D.
Rice University
Christof Koch, Ph.D.
California Institute of Technology
Louis Komjathy, Ph.D.
Independent Scholar-Educator and Translator
Elisa Kozasa, Ph.D.
Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil
Linda Lantieri, M.A.
Inner Resilience Program
Brooke Lavelle, Ph.D.
Courage of Care
Richard Layard, Ph.D.
London School of Economics, UK
Marc Lewis, Ph.D.
Retired Author
Sara Lewis, Ph.D.
Naropa University
Geshe Lhakdor, Geshe
Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, India
Diana Liverman, Ph.D.
University of Arizona
Antoine Lutz, Ph.D.
Inserm, France
Richard Maddock, M.D.
University of California, Davis
Rhonda Magee, M.A., J.D.
University of San Francisco School of Law
John Makransky, Ph.D.
Boston College
Jennifer Mascaro, Ph.D.
Emory University School of Medicine
Erin McCarthy, Ph.D.
St. Lawrence University
Sara McClintock, Ph.D.
Emory University
Sallie McFague, Ph.D.
Vancouver School of Theology, Canada
David McMahan, Ph.D.
Franklin & Marshall College
Wolf Mehling, Ph.D.
University of California- San Fransisco
Konda Mason
Spirit Rock Center
David Meyer, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Donald Morrison, M.B.A.
Research in Motion (Retired)
Yoshio Nakamura, Ph.D.
University of Utah
Geshe Dadul Namgyal
Emory University
Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, Ph.D.
Emory University
Drepung Losling Monastery
Lis Nielsen, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging, NIH
Gregory Norris, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Andrew Olendzki, Ph.D.
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
Brendan Ozawa-DeSilva, Ph.D.
Emory University
Chikako Ozawa-DeSilva, Ph.D.
Emory University
Giuseppe Pagnoni, Ph.D.
University of Modena, Italy
Ken Paller, Ph.D.
Northwestern University
Clare Palmer, D.Phil.
Texas A&M University
Sharon Parks, Th.D.
Leadership for the New Commons
Bobbi (Barbara) Patterson, Ph.D.
Emory University
Luiz Pessoa, Ph.D.
University of Maryland
Claire Petitmengin, Ph.D.
Institut Mines-Telecom, France
Sheryl Petty, Ed.D.
Equity, Personal Transformation & Systems Change Consultant
Movement Tapestries, LLC
john powell, J.D.
University of California–Berkeley
Cynthia Price, Ph.D.
University of Washington
Charles Raison, M.D.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, Ph.D.
Center for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, India
Laura Rendón, Ph.D.
University of Texas-San Antonio
Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D.
Shechen Monastery, Nepal
Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Pundarika Foundation
Andreas Roepstorff, Ph.D.
Aarhus University, Denmark
Robert Roeser, Ph.D.
The Pennsylvania State University
Erika Rosenberg, Ph.D.
University of California, Davis; Erika Rosenberg Consulting
Harold Roth, Ph.D.
Brown University
Bunker Roy
Barefoot College, India
Baljinder Sahdra, Ph.D.
Australian Catholic University, Australia
Sharon Salzberg
Insight Meditation Society
Geshe Ngawang Samten
Central University of Tibetan Studies, India
Saki Santorelli, Ed.D.
University of Massachusetts Medical School (Retired)
Cliff Saron, Ph.D.
University of California, Davis
Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, Ph.D.
University of British Columbia, Canada
Zindel Segal, Ph.D.
University of Toronto, Canada
Pamela Seigle, Ph.D.
Wellesley College
Peter Senge, Ph.D.
MIT Sloan School of Management
Catherine Shaddix, M.A.
UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
Baywell Psychiatry Group
Bennett Shapiro, Ph.D.
Merck Research Laboratories (retired)
Robert Sharf, Ph.D.
University of California–Berkeley
Shinsuke Shimojo, Ph.D.
California Institute of Technology
Joan Silk, Ph.D.
University of California–Los Angeles
Tania Singer, Ph.D.
Social Neuroscience Lab, Max Planck Society, Germany
Wolf Singer, M.D., Ph.D.
Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI)
Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany
Theo Sowa, M.A.
African Women’s Development Fund
Michael Spezio, Ph.D.
Scripps College
Aaron Stern
Academy for the Love of Learning
P.N. Tandon, Ph.D.
President, National Brain Research Center, India
Ed Taylor
University of Washington
Mary Taylor
Yoga Workshop
Evan Thompson, Ph.D.
University of British Columbia, Canada
Hilary Tindle, M.D., MPH
Vanderbilt – Ingram Cancer Center
John Tresch, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Jeanne Tsai, Ph.D.
Stanford University
David Vago, Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University
Martijn van Beek, Ph.D.
University of Aarhus, Denmark
Nicholas Van Dam, Ph.D.
University of Melbourne
William Waldron, Ph.D.
Middlebury College
B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D.
Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies
Kirk Warren Brown, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Peter Wayne, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Helen Weng, Ph.D.
University of California–San Francisco
Rona Wilensky, Ph.D.
PassageWorks Institute
Carol Worthman, Ph.D.
Emory University
Arthur Zajonc, Ph.D.
Amherst University (retired)
Vicki Zakrzewski, Ph.D.
Greater Good Science Center
Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D.
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Phil Zelazo, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota