Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D.

Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D. (FAN ’13), is one of the world’s most influential scientists working at the intersection of neuroscience, emotion, and human flourishing. William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison — where he has been a faculty member since 1984 — he is the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds and of the nonprofit Humin, which translates scientific research into practical tools for cultivating and measuring wellbeing.

Davidson’s research centers on the neural bases of emotion and what he calls “emotional style” — the characteristic ways individuals respond to life’s experiences — as well as the methods, including meditation and contemplative practice, that can reshape those responses. His studies span the full human lifespan, from infancy through old age, and have encompassed both clinical populations — people with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and autism — and expert meditators with tens of thousands of hours of practice. His methods are equally wide-ranging, drawing on multiple forms of MRI, positron emission tomography, electroencephalography, and cutting-edge genetic and epigenetic analysis.

A friend and long-time collaborator of the Dalai Lama, Davidson has brought the science of wellbeing to some of the world’s most prominent stages, including the World Economic Forum, where he serves on the Global Council on Mental Health. In 2006, Time magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

His writing has reached far beyond the laboratory. The Emotional Life of Your Brain, co-authored with Sharon Begley, was a New York Times bestseller in 2012. Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body, co-authored with Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. (FAN ’13), followed in 2017. Davidson has also been featured extensively in popular media, including the Today show, NPR, National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, O: The Oprah Magazine, Harvard Business Review, and PBS.

Davidson’s new book is Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Thriving, co-authored by Cortland Dahl, Ph.D.

He holds a Ph.D. in psychology, psychopathology, and psychophysiology from Harvard University and a B.S. in psychology from New York University.