Who We Are
The Mindful Researchers are a diverse community of researchers – academics, educators, artists, contemplatives, and other individuals from various backgrounds, from young to senior – who seek to live and thrive in personal, communal and professional environments embracing creativity and passionate interests, and nurturing contemplative, phenomenological, enactive, participatory, co-creative, innovative, and exploratory approaches.
We envision collaborative ways of research, that are rooted in shared values and emphasise co-created projects, including the process of discovering which research questions we consider most important to address.
The Members – Community Gardeners
Members of the MR initiative are our community gardeners. They actively follow and engage in our activities, share ideas and convey needs and insights, thus bringing our community to life. Members can also choose to actively contribute to the co-creation of projects, programs, and initiatives.
The Stewards – Community Guides
While MR initiative is based on participatory practices and principles, our dedicated team of stewards take care of the initiative’s structural needs. They play a key role in guiding our community by making strategic and operational decisions, initiating proposal calls, and managing fundraising efforts. They also ensure that necessary online spaces, resources and tools are available, fostering a collaborative and fertile environment.
The stewards team currently includes Wolfgang Lukas, Francesco Noera and Luciana Longo.
Click Here to Meet our Stewards Team
Wolfgang Lukas
Wolfgang holds an MSc degree in physics from Graz University of Technology and a PhD degree in physics from University of Innsbruck. He was a member of the ATLAS collaboration at CERN from 2010-2017. Aspiring to “bridge” scientific collaboration with contemplative practices and community-building, he initiated the Contemplative Scientific Collaboration project in 2016 and the Mindful Researchers initiative in 2020, with support by the Yoga Science Foundation.
Wolfgang began exploring contemplative practices and traditions in 2005, with a focus on Theravada Buddhism and an interest in Zen and Christian Mysticism. While working as a data analyst, he still contributes to projects and publications related to open and collaborative science. His heart lights up for participatory decision-making (a certified moderator for Systemic Konsensing®), process facilitation (Art of Hosting, Way of Council), poetry, storytelling, filmmaking, playing chess, and permaculture gardening.
Francesco Noera
Francesco holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, an M.Sc. in Science and Technology in Society from the University of Edinburgh, and a Pg.Dip. in Service Design from Politecnico di Milano. His expertise includes qualitative research, service design, and innovation management. He currently works as a Social Innovation Analyst in Italy.
Francesco first engaged with contemplative practices in 2009 while volunteering for a pilot project exploring the stress-reducing effects of yoga pranayama practices. Since 2019, he has been deepening Tibetan traditions of contemplative practice. In parallel to personal practice, he is interested in experimenting with the application of contemplative practices in secular contexts, specifically looking at bringing the dialogue between science and contemplative traditions into applied tasks and problem-solving. He has been participating in the Mindful Researchers initiative since 2020.
Luciana Longo
Luciana joined the MR Stewards Team in early 2025, bringing a passion for transdisciplinary enterprises. She has led and contributed to projects in mental health, education and science communication, collaborating with teams from diverse backgrounds across public, private and international organizations.
Originally trained in law at the University of Turin (Italy), Luciana developed a keen interest in the interplay between knowing and living and the understanding of individuals and collectivities. This curiosity first led her to study Maturana’s work on the biology of cognition, eventually drawing her towards cognitive science. During her master’s degree at UCD Dublin, she encountered Fred Cummins’s research on joint speech (chant) and joined him in observing these practices across contexts of human assembly and communion, especially rituals and education. Her engagement in contemplative practices has deepened her fascination with the role of joint speech in rituals, inspiring her to explore them further.
Click here to read about our previous core team (“gardeners”)
Former Core Team: The Gardeners
From early 2021 until Spring 2022, a subgroup of our community, back then called “gardeners”, met weekly to practice together, listen to emerging needs and ideas, co-facilitate our community events, co-create new formats and participation opportunities, and develop the Mindful Researchers project and community further.
With gratitude to the former “gardeners” and their contributions: Annika Lübbert, Dara James, Enrico Fucci, Francesco Noera, Mary Rees, Nikola Winter, Willeke Rietdijk, and Wolfgang Lukas.
The Facilitators – Community Gatherers
The facilitators are our community gatherers, supporting the stewards in fostering community engagement. By guiding and facilitating self-organized activities, as well as plenary sessions and dedicated practice groups, they play a vital role in maintaining a dynamic and connected MR community.
Inner Circle of Contributors
The MR initiative is supported by a dedicated Inner Circle of Contributors, a group of community members who play a vital role in nurturing its growth and success. Since early 2024, our community members Ayda Duroux, Heena Kamble, and Rocío Martinez-Vivot have been dedicated to supporting the MR initiative, offering their time, expertise, and resources to help it grow and thrive. In 2025, Elaine Tao and Vani Gupta have also joined this circle, adding even more strength to our community. We want to warmly acknowledge Ayda, who has recently transitioned out, with deep gratitude for everything she contributed along the way – and with the hope to welcome her back again soon.
The Mentors – Community Guardians
The mentors provide guidance, advice, insights and support to ensure alignment between the community’s needs and the MR initiative’s vision and mission. They assist the team in navigating through early-decision making during key stages, guarding the initiative’s long-term direction and sustainability.
We are grateful to the Yoga Science Foundation and to Mind & Life Europe for their funding, mentoring and support.
We also thank the Mind & Life Institute, as well as many individuals who have inspired and supported our development in various ways.