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/their scholarship, activities, and influence.

See below for more information, including the history of the program, types of Mind & Life Fellows, and current eligibility requirements.


Welcome to the recent cohort of Mind & Life Fellows

As announced in the February 2024 monthly newsletter of Mind & Life.

Angel Acosta, PhD

Jamie Bristow

Jane Carpenter Cohen, MA

Anthony Chambers, PhD

Amy Cohen Varela, PhD

Dave DeSteno, PhD

Lisa Flook, PhD

Susan Gere, PhD

Yuki Imoto, PhD

Kritee (Kanko), PhD

Michael Sheehy, PhD

Emiliana Simon-Thomas, PhD

Geshe Tenzin Wangyal


Mind & Life Fellows

Rui Afonso, PhD

Bhikkhu Analayo, PhD

Adam Anderson, PhD

Elena Antonova, PhD

Joanna Arch, PhD

James Austin, PhD

Anthony Back, MD

Willa Blythe Baker, PhD

Daniel Barbezat, PhD

Bruce Barrett, MD, PhD

Larry Barsalou, PhD

Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN, FAAN

Peter Baumann

Amit Bernstein, PhD

Kent Berridge, PhD

Mark Bertolini, MBA

Michel Bitbol, PhD

Bhikkhu Bodhi, PhD

Sarah Bowen, PhD

Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, PhD

Judson Brewer, MD, PhD

Willoughby Britton, PhD

Owsley Brown III

John Canti, MA, MB, BChir

Linda Carlson, PhD

Yuria Celidwen, PhD

Ram-Prasad Chakravarthi, DPhil

Doris Chang, PhD

Alejandro Chaoul, PhD

Diana Chapman Walsh, PhD

Khen Rinpoche Jangchup Choeden, Abbot

Kalina Christoff, PhD

John Christopher, PhD

George P. Chrousos, MD

Dekila Chungyalpa, MA

Jim Coan, PhD

Lorenzo Cohen, PhD

Paul Condon, PhD

Quinn Conklin, PhD

Lisette Cooper, PhD

J. David Creswell, PhD

Molly Crockett, PhD

Margaret Cullen

Cortland Dahl, PhD

Geshe Dorji Damdul, Geshe

Nilanjana “Buju” Dasgupta, PhD

Richard Davidson, PhD

Martin Davidson, PhD

Ekaterina Denkova, PhD

Marc-Henri Deroche, PhD

Gaelle Desbordes, PhD

Sona Dimidjian, PhD

James R. Doty, MD

Andrew Dreitcer, PhD

Georges Dreyfus, PhD

John Dunne, PhD

John Durant, PhD

Jacquelynne Eccles, PhD

Stuart Eisendrath, MD

Paul Ekman, PhD

Eve Ekman, PhD

Adam Engle, JD MBA

Elissa Epel, PhD

Monique Ernst, PhD

Michael Eze, PhD

Norman Farb, PhD

Wendy Farley, PhD

Ernst Fehr, PhD

Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD

Brent Field, PhD

Wulstan Fletcher

Vibeke Asmussen Frank, PhD

Barbara Fredrickson, PhD

Richard Freeman

David Fresco, PhD

Rahul Garg, PhD

Eric Garland, PhD

Raymond L. Gellein, Jr., MBA

Bill George, MBA

David Germano, PhD

Rupert Gethin, PhD

Cheryl Giscombe, PhD

Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, PhD

Simon Goldberg, PhD

Philippe Goldin, PhD

Joseph Goldstein

Daniel Goleman, PhD

Sherryl Goodman, PhD

Marcia Grabowecky, PhD

Mark Greenberg, PhD

Peter Grossenbacher, PhD

Paul Grossman, PhD

Daniel Grupe, PhD

Anu Gupta, JD

Tho Ha Vinh, PhD

Joan Halifax, PhD, Roshi

Diego Hangartner, PharmD

Adam Hanley, PhD

Bill Harbaugh, PhD

Anne Harrington, PhD

Wendy Hasenkamp, PhD

Maria Heim, PhD

Barry Hershey, MFA

Matthew Hirshberg, PhD

Zara Houshmand

Jeremy Hunter, PhD

Mays Imad, PhD

Yoshiro Imaeda, PhD

Daniel Irurah, PhD

Carolyn Jacobs, PhD

Patricia (Tish) Jennings, PhD

Amishi Jha, PhD

Thupten Jinpa Langri, PhD

Bryce Johnson, PhD

Grant Jones

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD

Susan Kaiser Greenland, JD

Yoona Kang, PhD

Rajesh Kasturirangan, PhD

Al Kaszniak, PhD

Constance A. Kemmerer, PhD

Megan Kennedy

Catherine Kerr, PhD (deceased)

Barry Kerzin, MD

Brandon King, PhD

James Kirby, PhD

Shinobu Kitayama, PhD

Anne Klein, PhD

Christof Koch, PhD

Louis Komjathy, PhD

Jack Kornfield

Elisa Kozasa, PhD

Linda Lantieri, MA

Brooke Lavelle, PhD

Richard Layard, PhD

Nava Levit-Binnun, PhD

Marc Lewis, PhD

Sara Lewis, PhD

Geshe Lhakdor, Geshe

Kaira Jewel Lingo

Diana Liverman, PhD

Tanya Luhrmann, PhD

Antoine Lutz, PhD

Richard Maddock, MD

Rhonda Magee, MA, JD

Kamilah Majied, PhD

John Makransky, PhD

Dominique Malebranche, PhD

Jennifer Mascaro, PhD

Erin McCarthy, PhD

Sara McClintock, PhD

Sallie McFague, PhD (deceased)

David McMahan, PhD

Wolf Mehling, PhD

Konda Mason

David Meyer, PhD

Donald Morrison, MBA

Marianne Murray, PhD

Yoshio Nakamura, PhD

Geshe Dadul Namgyal

Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD

Lis Nielsen, PhD

Gregory Norris, PhD

Robin Nusslock, PhD

Karen O’Brien, PhD

Andrew Olendzki, PhD

Brendan Ozawa-DeSilva, PhD

Chikako Ozawa-DeSilva, PhD

Giuseppe Pagnoni, PhD

Ken Paller, PhD

Clare Palmer, DPhil

Sharon Parks, ThD

Bobbi (Barbara) Patterson, PhD

Luiz Pessoa, PhD

Claire Petitmengin, PhD

Sheryl Petty, EdD

LaShawnDa Pittman, PhD

john powell, JD

Cynthia Price, PhD

Jordan Quaglia, PhD

Charles Raison, MD

Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, PhD

Laura Rendón, PhD

Matthieu Ricard, PhD

Tsoknyi Rinpoche

Andreas Roepstorff, PhD

Robert Roeser, PhD

Erika Rosenberg, PhD

Melissa Rosenkranz, PhD

Harold Roth, PhD

Bunker Roy

Matthew Sacchet, PhD

Baljinder Sahdra, PhD

Sharon Salzberg

Geshe Ngawang Samten

Saki Santorelli, EdD

Juan Santoyo

Juliana Santoyo

Cliff Saron, PhD

Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, PhD

Zindel Segal, PhD

Pamela Seigle, PhD

Peter Senge, PhD

Catherine Shaddix, MA

Bennett Shapiro, PhD

Robert Sharf, PhD

Shinsuke Shimojo, PhD

Michelle Shiota, PhD

Daniel Siegel, MD

Joan Silk, PhD

Judith Simmer-Brown, PhD

Tania Singer, PhD

Wolf Singer, MD, PhD

Alea Skwara, PhD

Theo Sowa, MA

Michael Spezio, PhD

Aaron Stern

Jasmine Syedullah, PhD

P.N. Tandon, PhD

Ed Taylor

Mary Taylor

Evan Thompson, PhD

Tawni Tidwell, PhD, TMD

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH

John Tresch, PhD

Jeanne Tsai, PhD

David Vago, PhD

Martijn van Beek, PhD

Nicholas Van Dam, PhD

William Waldron, PhD

B. Alan Wallace, PhD

Christine Wamsler, PhD

Nancy Waring, PhD

Kirk Warren Brown, PhD

Peter Wayne, PhD

Helen Weng, PhD

Rona Wilensky, PhD

David Sloan Wilson, PhD

Christine Wilson-Mendenhall, PhD

Carol Worthman, PhD

Arthur Zajonc, PhD

Vicki Zakrzewski, PhD

Anthony Zanesco, PhD

Fadel Zeidan, PhD

Phil Zelazo, PhD


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 (must meet all 3 to be eligible)

  1. Has made significant contributions as a researcher, changemaker, or contemplative, with 10+ years in the field, to the mission and vision of the Mind & Life Institute and more broadly to contemplative sciences, studies, and practice through their scholarship, activities, and influence. Examples include a nominee who:
    • 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.
  2. Is or has been involved with the Mind & Life Institute in one or more 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, or has been a mentor for the Global Majority Leadership and Mentorship Program.
  3. 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. Nominations for the next class of Mind & Life Fellows opens in the Fall.

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.