Richard J. Davidson is the Director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience and the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Over the course of his research career he has focused on the relationship between brain and emotion. He is co-author or editor of thirteen books, including Visions of Compassion: Western Scientists and Tibetan Buddhists Examine Human Nature. Professor Davidson was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in May, 2006. His research has included neuroscientific investigations of exceptional mental abilities in advanced Tibetan monks.

Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk at Shechen Monastery in Kathmandu and French interpreter since 1989 for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He received his PhD in Cellular Genetics at the Institut Pasteur in France, before forsaking his scientific career to concentrate on Tibetan Buddhist studies. He received the French National Order of Merit for his humanitarian work setting up clinics, schools and orphanages in the Himalayan region. Mr. Ricard’s photographs of the spiritual masters, the landscapes and the people of the Himalayas have appeared internationally in books and magazines. The dialogue with his father, Jean-Francois Revel, The Monk and the Philosopher, was a best seller in Europe, and The Quantum and the Lotus reflects his long-standing interest in science and Buddhism. His new book, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill, explores the meaning and fulfillment of happiness.

Dynamic lecturer, progressive scholar, and one of the most prolific writers and translators of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D., continually seeks innovative ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practices with Western science to advance the study of the mind. Having devoted fourteen years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama, Dr. Wallace went on to earn an undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at Amherst College and a doctorate in religious studies at Stanford. His books include Genuine Happiness: Meditation as the Path to Fulfillment and The Attention Revolution – Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind..

Corey L M Keyes, PhD is a social psychologist receiving his doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is on the faculty of Emory University, holding dual appointments in the Departments of Sociology and in the Behavioral Sciences and Health Education of the Rollins School of Public Health and is an adjunct professor of Psychology. He was the co- chair of the historic First Summit of Positive Psychology held in 1999. Dr Keyes is a founding steering committee member of the interdisciplinary Society for the Study of Human Development. He has been a keynote at several conferences, most recently the First Positive Psychology Conference in 2006 in South Africa. His recent work includes edited volumes entitled Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived; Well-Being: Positive Development Through the Life-Course; and Women and Depression: A Handbook of Medical, Psychological and Social Perspectives.

Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer at Harvard University. He currently teaches the largest course at Harvard on "Positive Psychology" and the third largest on "The Psychology of Leadership"--with a total of over 1,400 students. Tal consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporation, the general public, and at-risk populations. Topics include happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, mindfulness, and leadership. An avid sportsman, Tal won the U.S. Intercollegiate and Israeli National squash championships. He obtained his PhD in Organizational Behavior and BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Harvard. His latest book is Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment.

David Matsumoto is an internationally acclaimed author and psychologist. He is currently Professor of Psychology and Director of the Culture and Emotion Research Laboratory at San Francisco State University, where he has been since 1989. He has studied culture, emotion, social interaction and communication for 20 years, and has approximately 400 works in these areas. His books include well-known titles such as Culture and Psychology: People Around the World, The Handbook of Culture and Psychology and The New Japan.

Dr Craig Hassed is a General Practitioner and Senior Lecturer at the Monash University Department of General Practice.  His teaching, research and clinical interests include mindfulness-based stress management, mind-body medicine, holistic healthcare, health promotion and medical ethics.  He also teaches in the cancer support programs at the Gawler Foundation, and takes courses at the Petrea King Quest for Life Centre.  He writes regularly for medical journals particularly in Philosophy of Medicine and has published three books: New Frontiers in Medicine (Volumes 1 and 2) and Know Thyself on Mindfulness-based stress management.  Craig has also been a regular commentator on the ABC.

Dr Craig Hassed is a General Practitioner and Senior Lecturer at the Monash University Department of General Practice.  His teaching, research and clinical interests include mindfulness-based stress management, mind-body medicine, holistic healthcare, health promotion and medical ethics.  He also teaches in the cancer support programs at the Gawler Foundation, and takes courses at the Petrea King Quest for Life Centre.  He writes regularly for medical journals particularly in Philosophy of Medicine and has published three books: New Frontiers in Medicine (Volumes 1 and 2) and Know Thyself on Mindfulness-based stress management.  Craig has also been a regular commentator on the ABC.

Alison Murdoch has been working in the non-profit sector for over 17 years, originally for homelessness charities such as Crisis, Centrepoint and National Homeless Alliance, and then as Director of Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London, UK. She has a particular interest in the links between spirituality and social change, and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio. In January 2005 she established ‘Universal Compassion and Wisdom for Peace,’ an international education non-profit that helps people develop their capacity to be kind and wise, and for which she was given a Millennium Award by the charity UnLtd. Alison is the author of the “16 Guidelines for a Happy Life,” initially launched at the 1st International Conference on Happiness and its Causes in Sydney, Australia.

Professor Robert A. Cummins has held a Personal Chair in Psychology at Deakin University since 1997. He has published widely on the topic of Quality of Life and is regarded as an international authority in this area. He is a Fellow of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies and the Australian Psychological Society. He is on the editorial board of eight Journals and is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Happiness Studies.

Dr Craig Hassed is a General Practitioner and Senior Lecturer at the Monash University Department of General Practice.  His teaching, research and clinical interests include mindfulness-based stress management, mind-body medicine, holistic healthcare, health promotion and medical ethics.  He also teaches in the cancer support programs at the Gawler Foundation, and takes courses at the Petrea King Quest for Life Centre.  He writes regularly for medical journals particularly in Philosophy of Medicine and has published three books: New Frontiers in Medicine (Volumes 1 and 2) and Know Thyself on Mindfulness-based stress management.  Craig has also been a regular commentator on the ABC.