People
The Mind & Life Institute is a non-profit institution dedicated to building a scientific understanding of the mind in order to reduce suffering and promote well-being. You can learn about the individuals stewarding the Institute by clicking on the tabs below.
In our continued commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and following best practices to support a thriving organization, Mind & Life is committed to increasing participation of individuals from culturally diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds. Former members of the Council on Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, along with others in the Mind & Life community, will serve as members across all of our committees and faculty in our programs.
Honorary Chairman
Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Executive Committee
Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, President
Raymond L. Gellein, Jr., MBA, Vice Chair and Treasurer
Carolyn Jacobs, PhD, Secretary
Thupten Jinpa, PhD, Chair
Board of Directors
Lisette Cooper, CFA, PhD
Athena Capital Advisors
Martin N. Davidson, PhD
University of Virginia
Sona Dimidjian, PhD
University of Colorado–Boulder
Raymond L. Gellein, Jr., MBA
RGB Capital Advisors
Barry Hershey, MFA
Filmmaker
Carolyn Jacobs, PhD
Smith College School for Social Work, Dean Emerita
Thupten Jinpa, PhD
Institute for Tibetan Classics
Jack Kornfield, PhD
Spirit Rock Center
Aaron Stern
Academy for the Love of Learning, Founder and President
Founders
Adam Engle, JD, MBA (Chair/CEO Emeritus)
Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Francisco J. Varela, PhD (1946-2001)
Board Members Emeriti
Tendzin Choegyal
Richard J. Davidson, PhD, Chief Scientific Advisor, Founding Steward
John D. Dunne, PhD
Adam Engle, JD, MBA
Daniel Goleman, PhD, Founding Steward
Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD, Founding Steward
Anne Harrington, PhD
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, Founding Steward
Donald H. Morrison, MBA
Matthieu Ricard, PhD, Founding Steward
Francisco J. Varela, PhD
Ulco Visser
Alan Wallace, PhD
Diana Chapman Walsh, PhD
Arthur Zajonc, PhD
Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, co-chair
Mind & Life Institute
Sarah Bowen, PhD
Pacific University
Elissa Epel, PhD co-chair
University of California–San Francisco
Wendy Hasenkamp, PhD
Mind & Life Institute
Lisbeth Nielsen, PhD
National Institute of Health *
Bobbi Patterson, PhD
Emory University
Robert Roeser, PhD
Pennsylvania State University
Fadel Zeidan, PhD
University of California–San Diego
Ed Taylor, PhD
University of Washington
Krista Weih
Mind & Life Institute
* Dr. Nielsen is serving in her personal capacity
Summer Research Institute
Dusana Dorjee, PhD
Bangor University
Brooke Lavelle, PhD
Courage of Care
Harold Roth, PhD
Brown University
Laura Schmalzl, PhD
Southern California University of Health Sciences
Judith Simmer-Brown, PhD
Naropa University
David Vago, PhD
Vanderbilt University
Peter Wayne, PhD
Harvard Medical School
Fadel Zeidan, PhD
Wake Forest University
PEACE Grants
Doris Chang, PhD
New School for Social Research
Paul Condon, PhD
Southern Oregon University
Mark Greenberg, PhD
Pennsylvania State University
Yoona Kang, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Jennifer Mascaro, PhD
Emory University
Emiliana Simon-Thomas, PhD
Greater Good Science Center
University of California–Berkeley
Varela Grants
TBD
Think Tanks
TBD