CONFERENCE BROCHURE - Mind & Life Institute

Mind and Life Summer Research InstituteJune 16 – June 22, 2012Mind and Life Francisco J. Varela Research AwardsThe Mind and Life Francisco J. Varela Research Awards (Varela Awards) for graduate students and post docs were establishedin 2004 as a companion program to MLSRI and have been a critical element in supporting the development ofContemplative Science and Contemplative Studies. The Varela Awards support new research proposals, most developedthrough collaboration at MLSRI, which often do not qualify for traditional streams of funding.Since 2004, Mind and Life has distributed more than $1,295,000 in funding to support junior scientists in these emergingfields. As a result of the Varela Awards, a significant increase in cognitive, behavioral, neurobiological, and clinical findingsare being published in top-tier, peer-reviewed, scientific journals. To date, more than 65 scholarly articles have beenpublished with 18 articles under review and 46 articles in preparation for submission, as well as more than 50 poster presentationsand 125 scientific presentations. Further, these relatively small awards have been leveraged into more than $15million in follow-on funding to the awardees including five follow-on awards at the $1 million level and 10 follow-onawards of more than $200,000.Research that is now being conducted with the support of Varela Awards will be the future basis of the emerging fields ofContemplative Science and Contemplative Studies. Today’s researchers will be tomorrow’s leaders in the exploration ofthe mind.To be eligible for a Varela Award, researchers must have attended the MLSRI within two years of their application. Awardsare granted through a competitive process with emphasis given to rigorous scientific proposals that evaluate both state andtrait effects of contemplative practice, and experimental designs that incorporate first-person contemplative methods intocognitive, affective, and/or neuroscientists research on consciousness.To find out more about the Varela Awards, please visit www.mindandlife.orgRecipients of the Mind and Life Francisco J. Varela Research Awards2004Willoughby BrittonJason BuhleRyan CanoltyArnaud DelormePhilippe GoldinPatricia JenningsCatherine OrtnerBrian PasleyElizabeth KimbroughHilary Tindle2005Diego BermanNorman FarbDurwin FosterBrent HughesCendri HutchersonSahib KhalsaAnthony KingDeidre ReisMolly Stewart LawlorAdam SafronEmma SeppalaMichael SpezioDavid Vago2006Thorsten BarnhoferJudson BrewerChristopher BrownCatherine CraneSandra DiVitaleRadhi RajaManish SaggarMarieke van VugtHelen WengJaskirat Wild2007Joanna ArchJennifer DaubenmierEric GarlandJoshua GrantTeresa HawkesBritta HoelzelElizabeth HogeMichael HoveKristen JastrowskiManoAnthony KingZev RosenBaljinder SahdraLaura Van WielingenAnna-leila WilliamsFadel Zeidan2008Sean BarnesAviva Berkovich-OhanaJulie Brefczynski-LewisEllen DarlingBrooke Dodson-LavelleLisa FlookBrian GallaSheila GarlandWendy HasenkampBrandon KingSusanne LeibergNathaniel LeppHolly RauTeresa SivilliNicholas Van DamAnthony Zanescocontinued on page 1716