Gaëlle Desbordes

Gaëlle Desbordes, PhD, is a Principal Investigator at Harvard Medical School conducting research at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging within the Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a neuroscientist (with a background in engineering and computer science), whose research uses advanced methods in brain imaging (especially functional MRI) and physiological measurements of the autonomic nervous system to investigate meditative practices. She is particularly interested in contemplative methods for cultivating compassion and promoting behavior change. Her research has been funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Mind and Life Institute, and other sources. She is an active contributor to the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative—an ongoing effort overseen by the Dalai Lama aimed at implementing a comprehensive and sustainable science curriculum for Tibetan monks and nuns. She has been studying and practicing Tibetan Buddhism under several teachers for about 10 years; this has greatly impacted her research and her life.