ABOUT THE SRI:
The Mind & Life Summer Research Institute (SRI), is a weeklong immersive program. Unlike traditional academic conferences, the program provides opportunities for deep dialogue across disciplines as well as inquiry through first-person reflection and contemplative practice. It moves away from hierarchies of knowledge to foster an integrative, richer, and fuller understanding of the mind and society, focusing on current issues and positive actions that lead to real-world outcomes.
Participants refer to SRI as a “unique place,” where it’s possible to “participate without feeling judged, and where every opinion is held and considered.” Many speak to the event as a “life changing experience,” where they feel supported by like-minded peers in a nurturing environment and where lifelong connections, collaborations, and friendships are formed. Through a process of inquiry and dialogue, the SRI is designed to foster collaborative inquiry that encourages inclusivity and targeted action among diverse participants who have a stake or deep interest in individual, societal, and planetary flourishing.
The program incorporates plenary lectures, panel discussions, breakout groups, spaces for relationship building, poster presentations, networking opportunities, and daily contemplative time (meditation, yoga, QiGong, walking in nature, contemplative arts, and includes a one day silent retreat. Also featured are intentional spaces where participants come together in a safe space to discuss and find support around topics related to specific research interests and/or identities.
With engaging faculty, and a rich and varied format, SRI sparks not only new ideas and collaborations, it fosters intellectual humility, a professional commitment to research aimed at a higher good, and a personal commitment to reflection and inquiry. Participants who attend the SRI as Emerging Researchers become eligible to apply for the Mind & Life Francisco J. Varela Research Grants.
The goals of the Mind & Life Summer Research Institute are:
To spark new research ideas and interdisciplinary collaborations that explore the human mind; test the impacts of contemplative practices, interventions, and programs on brain, mind, behavior, health, and social relationships, using measurable metrics, always aiming for continuous improvement.
To translate contemplative research into measurable social impact on behalf of the greater good through rigorous methods and best practices including implementation science that facilitates the uptake of evidence-based practice and research into regular use by closing the gap between what we know (research or evidence) and what we do (practice). Where relevant, SRI seeks to support research on contemplative science whose applications improve social institutions and policies.
To train participants in emerging methods and best practices, explore opportunities and challenges of scaling up levels of analysis from the individual mind to interpersonal relationships to small groups to communities to larger societies. The long-term goal of SRI is to incentivize systems change oriented research that investigates the whole, builds upon individual parts, and aims to understand key interconnections within a system and between systems.
To experiment with topical themes as well as forms of engagement that utilize its core strengths to address contemporary social issues. Future themes might include artificial intelligence, technology, social polarization, interconnectedness, etc.
To create a space for dialogue that embodies a contemplative orientation, fosters deep and lasting relationship building among diverse participants, and creates a safe and welcoming environment for meaningful connections and group cohesiveness.
To nurture and grow a new generation of scientists and scholars (undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs), contemplative practitioners, and policymakers interested in innovative and interdisciplinary collaborative research and action to address contemporary challenges.
Mind & Life is committed to exploring and facilitating in depth and honest discussion
around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion during the SRI. We know that these are hard topics and encourage the community to use skills honed during our contemplative practices to engage in this critical work together.
2026 SUMMER RESEARCH INSTITUTE:
Depolarization: Cultivating Connection in a Divided World
June 7–12, 2026 | Garrison Institute, NY
The Mind & Life Institute’s 2026 Summer Research Institute will gather a bold and diverse community of scientists, contemplatives, cultural thinkers, and policymakers to explore one of the most urgent questions of our time: What holds us together in an age of fracture?
Polarization isn’t just global challenges—it lives in our nervous systems, in the ways we perceive each other, and in the structures we build. Over five immersive days, participants will step inside a monastic ecosystem where science meets contemplative practice, where dialogue sparks innovation, and where connection is treated as both a human capacity and a designable condition.
This year’s theme, “Depolarization: Cultivating Connection in a Divided World,” charts a pathway from personal awareness to collective transformation. Together, we’ll examine how connection is disrupted, what restores it, and how these insights can shape the cultures, institutions, and technologies of our shared future.
SRI 2026 will feature leading voices from affective science, compassion research, intergroup dialogue, business and policy making, systems thinking, and contemplative traditions. Expect rigorous inquiry, grounded practice, and unexpected moments of awe and belonging.
Summer Research Institute
ABOUT THE SRI:
The Mind & Life Summer Research Institute (SRI), is a weeklong immersive program. Unlike traditional academic conferences, the program provides opportunities for deep dialogue across disciplines as well as inquiry through first-person reflection and contemplative practice. It moves away from hierarchies of knowledge to foster an integrative, richer, and fuller understanding of the mind and society, focusing on current issues and positive actions that lead to real-world outcomes.
Participants refer to SRI as a “unique place,” where it’s possible to “participate without feeling judged, and where every opinion is held and considered.” Many speak to the event as a “life changing experience,” where they feel supported by like-minded peers in a nurturing environment and where lifelong connections, collaborations, and friendships are formed. Through a process of inquiry and dialogue, the SRI is designed to foster collaborative inquiry that encourages inclusivity and targeted action among diverse participants who have a stake or deep interest in individual, societal, and planetary flourishing.
The program incorporates plenary lectures, panel discussions, breakout groups, spaces for relationship building, poster presentations, networking opportunities, and daily contemplative time (meditation, yoga, QiGong, walking in nature, contemplative arts, and includes a one day silent retreat. Also featured are intentional spaces where participants come together in a safe space to discuss and find support around topics related to specific research interests and/or identities.
With engaging faculty, and a rich and varied format, SRI sparks not only new ideas and collaborations, it fosters intellectual humility, a professional commitment to research aimed at a higher good, and a personal commitment to reflection and inquiry. Participants who attend the SRI as Emerging Researchers become eligible to apply for the Mind & Life Francisco J. Varela Research Grants.
The goals of the Mind & Life Summer Research Institute are:
To spark new research ideas and interdisciplinary collaborations that explore the human mind; test the impacts of contemplative practices, interventions, and programs on brain, mind, behavior, health, and social relationships, using measurable metrics, always aiming for continuous improvement.
To translate contemplative research into measurable social impact on behalf of the greater good through rigorous methods and best practices including implementation science that facilitates the uptake of evidence-based practice and research into regular use by closing the gap between what we know (research or evidence) and what we do (practice). Where relevant, SRI seeks to support research on contemplative science whose applications improve social institutions and policies.
To train participants in emerging methods and best practices, explore opportunities and challenges of scaling up levels of analysis from the individual mind to interpersonal relationships to small groups to communities to larger societies. The long-term goal of SRI is to incentivize systems change oriented research that investigates the whole, builds upon individual parts, and aims to understand key interconnections within a system and between systems.
To experiment with topical themes as well as forms of engagement that utilize its core strengths to address contemporary social issues. Future themes might include artificial intelligence, technology, social polarization, interconnectedness, etc.
To create a space for dialogue that embodies a contemplative orientation, fosters deep and lasting relationship building among diverse participants, and creates a safe and welcoming environment for meaningful connections and group cohesiveness.
To nurture and grow a new generation of scientists and scholars (undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs), contemplative practitioners, and policymakers interested in innovative and interdisciplinary collaborative research and action to address contemporary challenges.
Mind & Life is committed to exploring and facilitating in depth and honest discussion
around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion during the SRI. We know that these are hard topics and encourage the community to use skills honed during our contemplative practices to engage in this critical work together.
2026 SUMMER RESEARCH INSTITUTE:
Depolarization: Cultivating Connection in a Divided World
June 7–12, 2026 | Garrison Institute, NY
The Mind & Life Institute’s 2026 Summer Research Institute will gather a bold and diverse community of scientists, contemplatives, cultural thinkers, and policymakers to explore one of the most urgent questions of our time: What holds us together in an age of fracture?
Polarization isn’t just global challenges—it lives in our nervous systems, in the ways we perceive each other, and in the structures we build. Over five immersive days, participants will step inside a monastic ecosystem where science meets contemplative practice, where dialogue sparks innovation, and where connection is treated as both a human capacity and a designable condition.
This year’s theme, “Depolarization: Cultivating Connection in a Divided World,” charts a pathway from personal awareness to collective transformation. Together, we’ll examine how connection is disrupted, what restores it, and how these insights can shape the cultures, institutions, and technologies of our shared future.
SRI 2026 will feature leading voices from affective science, compassion research, intergroup dialogue, business and policy making, systems thinking, and contemplative traditions. Expect rigorous inquiry, grounded practice, and unexpected moments of awe and belonging.