We are a multidisciplinary group of researchers, practitioners, and communicators united by a shared deep curiosity about the mind-body connection, and the effects of contemplative practices on the mind.
Dr. Sam Verschooren
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow
Research on attentional state transitions, voluntary control over internal bodily functions, and the integration of contemplative traditions with cognitive science.
Dr. Sam Verschooren
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow — Arctic University of Norway, Tromso
Sam is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso, working with Matthias Mittner to investigate transitions between different attentional and distraction states.
His main research line focuses on understanding transitions between attentional states and how internal and external attention interact.
He also studies voluntary control learning over autonomic bodily functions and the role of interoception in cognition.
His work bridges contemplative traditions such as yoga and meditation with contemporary cognitive neuroscience.
Sanjeev Bhanot
Founder, Yogalife International
Founder of Yogalife International, one of the oldest yoga schools in Europe. Pioneer in bringing yogic tradition into dialogue with modern cognitive science.
Sanjeev Bhanot
Founder & Director — Yogalife International
Sanjeev Bhanot is the founder of Yogalife International, established in India in 1999 with a vision to support wellbeing through yoga.
He has taught globally and helped train yoga teachers across many countries.
In Cognitive Science of Yoga, he contributes deep practical and theoretical knowledge from contemplative traditions.
His collaboration supports a shared language between scientific research and yogic practice.
Dr. Aleksandra Piejka
Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute
Aleksandra is a postdoctoral researcher at the Mind-Body-Emotion Group at MPI CBS, where she works on the psychophysiology of social connectedness and loneliness...
Dr. Aleksandra Piejka
Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Aleksandra is a postdoctoral researcher at the Mind-Body-Emotion Group at MPI CBS, where she works on the psychophysiology of social connectedness and loneliness.
Her research examines how psychological states -- particularly chronic and acute loneliness -- translate into measurable bodily responses, using ambulatory cardiac measures, ecological momentary assessment, and immersive virtual reality paradigms.
She approaches the mind-body connection as a scientific problem: how social and emotional experience becomes embodied, and what that means for mental and physical health.
Antonin Fourcade
doctoral researcher - Mind-Body-Emotion / MPI CBS
Antonin is a doctoral researcher at the Mind-Body-Emotion Group at MPI CBS, where he works on the psychophysiology of emotions and affective experience.
Antonin Fourcade
doctoral researcher at the Mind-Body-Emotion Group at MPI CBS
Antonin is a doctoral researcher at the Mind-Body-Emotion Group at MPI CBS, where he works on the psychophysiology of emotions and affective experience.
His research investigates the dynamics of brain-heart physiology during affective experiences — how emotional states unfold over time and are reflected in bodily signals, combining multimodal measurements including EEG, ECG, PPG, respiration, and skin conductance to probe the interplay between interoception and emotion processing.
To study these processes in rich, controlled yet ecologically valid conditions, he uses immersive virtual reality as a key experimental tool, bridging the gap between the traditional laboratory and real-world affective experience.
He is also a daily Vipassana meditation practitioner.
Niket Agrawal
PhD student, Tübingen University
Niket is a PhD student in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Tübingen.
Niket Agrawal
PhD student at Tübingen University
Niket is a PhD student in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Tübingen, studying the interplay between hormonal fluctuations, dopamine, and motivation-related brain functions.
He is interested in brain–body interactions, emotions, and mental health, with a particular focus on how biological rhythms influence cognition and psychological well‑being.
Stefan Weinhardt
Master’s student at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Master’s student in the Mind and Brain program at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Stefan Weinhardt
Master’s student at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Stefan is a Master’s student in the Mind and Brain program at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
His research explores the interplay between the brain and the body, focusing on how internal biological rhythms influence our attention and how we transition between mental states.
He is particularly interested in how breathing alters the autonomic nervous system and shapes cognitive functions through its effect on neuromodulatory systems.
Tomaso Zanardi
PhD Candidate, Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin
Tomaso is a cognitive scientist and PhD candidate at Humboldt University in Berlin.
Tomaso Zanardi
PhD Candidate — Social Intelligence Lab, Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin
Tomaso is a cognitive scientist and PhD candidate at Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin.
His work focuses on free will, intention formation, and physiological correlates of cognition.
He has broad interests in consciousness studies and contemplative practices.
He collaborates on Cognitive Science of Yoga as both researcher and practitioner.