NOM

Ruben E. Laukkonen

Affiliation

Director, Flourishing Intelligence Program (FLIP), University of Oxford. Co-Director, Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford. Senior Researcher, Psychiatry Department, University of Oxford.

Role in NOM

Investigator

Profile 1
Profile 2

Goal(s) in the NOM

A major frontier of meditation research is transformative events known as “awakening(s)”. I believe these inner ‘seismic shifts’ are likely to help us better understand the nature of neuroplasticity, consciousness, and human flourishing.

Education

Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology, The University of Queensland. PhD in Cognitive Science, The University of Queensland.

Experience

I have conducted empirical and theoretical research on the impacts of meditation on the mind and brain. In particular, I have pursued neural and computational models that help us make sense of the deep experiences that can arise during a long-term meditation path, including insights and non-dual awareness. I have also worked on theories of consciousness informed by the subtle phenomenology of meditation practice. My most recent work explores the role of contemplative wisdom in building beneficial artificial intelligence.

Select Publications

  1. Laukkonen, R. E., & Slagter, H. A. (2021). From many to (n)one: Meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.021
  2. Laukkonen, R. E., & Chandaria, S. (2025). A beautiful loop: An active inference theory of consciousness. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106296
  3. Laukkonen, R. E., Sacchet, M. D., Barendregt, H.., Devaney, K. D., Chowdhury, A., Slagter, H. A. (2023). Cessations of consciousness in meditation: Advancing a scientific understanding of nirodha samāpatti. Progress in Brain Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.007 
  4. Laukkonen, R. E., Inglis, F., Chandaria, S., Sandved-Smith, L., Lopez-Sola, E., Hohwy, J., Gold, J., Elwood, A. (2025). Contemplative Superalignment. Artificial General Intelligence. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-00686-8_31 
  5. Laukkonen, R. E., Dr., Webb, M. E., Salvi, C., Tangen, J. M., Slagter, H. A., & Schooler, J. (2023). Insight and the selection of ideas. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105363