Matthew D. Sacchet, Ph.D.
Dr. Matthew D. Sacchet, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Meditation Research Program at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General). His team studies advanced meditation, focusing on the states and stages of contemplative practice that develop over time and with mastery. Since 2012, Dr. Sacchet has authored over 100 publications, presented more than 150 times at various conferences and speaker series, and his work has been cited over 7,000 times. He has received significant support from numerous foundations and repeat awards from major U.S. federal funding bodies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). His research has been featured in major media outlets like CBS, Forbes, NBC, NPR, TIME, Vox, and The Wall Street Journal. Forbes also recognized him in their “30 Under 30” list. Additionally, Dr. Sacchet serves as an Associate Editor for the leading meditation academic journal, Mindfulness, and is a Research Fellow at the Mind & Life Institute.
The Meditation Research Program aims to establish a multidisciplinary scientific understanding of advanced meditation. The program integrates various fields such as affective and cognitive neuroscience, applied phenomenology, clinical psychology and psychiatry, computer science, contemplative and religious studies, epidemiology and public health, neuroimaging and electrophysiology, psychometrics and psychological assessment, and psychosomatic medicine. Current projects focus on studying meditative development and endpoints to gain a comprehensive understanding of the trajectories and outcomes of advanced meditation. This research seeks to enhance individual well-being and collective societal health by informing the development of more effective meditation training and interventions.