
State of the Field—Discoveries, Opportunities, and Challenges
November 5-8, 2020: Online Event

An Interactive Online Conference Featuring the Latest Findings on the Research of Meditation, Mindfulness, and Other Contemplative Practices.
What To Expect
- The Mind & Life 2020 Contemplative Research Conference is an international conference for rigorous interdisciplinary investigation of mindfulness and other contemplative practices and programs in diverse contexts
- Live keynote lectures and panels sharing big ideas and examining new influences in the field
- Hundreds of papers and posters bringing the latest ideas from the front lines of contemplative research and study
- Numerous networking opportunities in live meetings, forums, and social features built into the conference website
- Contemplative practice sessions and contemplative arts to ground the insights and embodied experience
Who Should Attend
Those who are doing the research
This is an international, interdisciplinary academic conference for scientists, scholars, and practitioners from diverse disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, clinical science, integrative health, contemplative studies, and education to share their work.
Those who want to learn about the research
CRC is also a place for professionals and leaders in the mindfulness and contemplative fields, to hear cutting edge research, find emerging voices, and be the first to know about new trends in the field.
What You'll Find
Keynote Speakers • Panel Discussions • Symposia and Paper Sessions • Posters • Contemplative Arts and Experiential Practice Sessions • Social Opportunities • Professional Development and Networking

Key Dates and Information
- Registration is now closed. General registration: $275 for the full online conference experience including access to the interactive online platform. Special rates are available for students ($125) and for monastics/clerical ($50).
- Applications for Scholarships are now closed. Successful scholarship recipients will enjoy a reduced registration rate of $25 for the full online conference experience. *If you are not able to pay scholarship fee or don’t have a credit card please contact us at programs@mindandlife.org.
- CE Credits: Continuing Education credits were not offered for CRC 2020.
Featured Speakers

Alejandro Chaoul
Jung Center's Mind Body Spirit Institute

Kalina Christoff
University of British Columbia

David Creswell
Carnegie Mellon University

Molly Crockett
Compassion Institute

Margaret Cullen
Compassion Institute

Richard Davidson
Center for Healthy Minds

Thupten Jinpa
Compassion Institute

Grant Jones
The Black Lotus Collective

Jon Kabat-Zinn
University of Massachusetts Medical School

Hawah Kasat
One Common Unity

Antoine Lutz
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Vivek Murthy
19th Surgeon General, United States

Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad
Lancaster University

Kim Schonert-Reichl
University of British Columbia

Amy Cohen Varela
Mind & Life Europe

Cheryl Woods Giscombe
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Carine Gibert
Grounded in Motion

Andreas Roepstorff
Aarhus University

Wen Chen
National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health

Pam Jeter
National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health

Lanay Mudd
National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health

Jessica McKlveen
National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health

Veronica Selzler
Hattaway Communications

Mohammed Hamid Mohammed
Fetzer Institute

Roman R. Williams
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion

Helen Weng
University of California, San Francisco
Program Planning Committee: Contemplative Research Conference
The Program Planning Committee (PPC) members are invited specialists from diverse disciplines and perspectives who bring their expertise to curate and produce the content for the Contemplative Research Conference and Education Preconference.

Linda Carlson
CRC Planning Committee Co-Chair
University of Calgary

John Dunne
CRC Planning Committee Co-Chair
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Doris Chang
New York University

Neil Dalal
University of Alberta

Amishi Jha
University of Miami

Dave Vago
Vanderbilt University