Dr. Dev Dash is an emergency physician, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University, and Co-Director of Innovation at Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE). Fellowship-trained in clinical informatics, his work sits at the intersection of medicine, artificial intelligence, digital health, and compassion. His research focuses on developing and evaluating technologies that improve clinical decision-making, patient safety, and the delivery of care, with particular interests in computer vision, natural language processing, and quality improvement in digital health. He is especially interested in how artificial intelligence can be designed and applied to strengthen compassion, communication, and human connection in healthcare. Through CCARE’s innovation work, Dr. Dash also explores how technology, storytelling, and the humanities can address clinician burnout, moral injury, compassion, and meaning in medicine. He is helping lead the development of Life Support, an initiative that uses film and storytelling to examine the human experience of healthcare and create new approaches to education, reflection, and clinician well-being. Across his work, Dr. Dash focuses on advancing healthcare innovation while ensuring that technology strengthens, rather than diminishes, the humanity at the heart of medicine.
Andrew Chu, MD, MBA, MPH
Dr. Andy Chu is a board-certified emergency physician, Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University, and Co-Director of Innovation at Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE). His work sits at the intersection of medicine, healthcare innovation, and storytelling. He has more than a decade of experience leading multidisciplinary teams developing technologies to improve clinical decision-making and patient care in complex, time-critical environments. Alongside this work, he uses film and the arts to explore the human experience of medicine, including burnout, moral injury, compassion, and meaning in clinical practice. His award-winning short film, Life Support, has screened at dozens of film festivals and received multiple jury awards for Best Short Film. Through both innovation and the humanities, Dr. Chu focuses on advancing medicine while preserving the humanity at its core.
Joyce Macalalad
Joyce Macalalad volunteers as the Interim Associate Creative Director at Life Support, where she supports creative strategy and storytelling initiatives that advance the organization’s mission. With a background in healthcare operations, project management, and human-centered design, she is passionate about creating systems and experiences that help people thrive. Joyce enjoys blending creativity, empathy, and data-driven problem solving to turn ideas into meaningful impact.
Angela Kim
Angela Kim graduated from UC Berkeley. She is a Rhodes Scholarship Finalist, a National Udall Scholar, and the 1st-place Recipient of UC Berkeley’s Jengyee Prize. She serves on the World Health Organization (WHO) Youth Council. Angela received the UC Berkeley Major Citation Award and the UC Berkeley Departmental Citation Award, which are the highest honors awarded to one graduating senior across the entire academic major and department.
Angela is deeply passionate about advancing the human side of medicine through storytelling, the arts, AI, and health innovation. She is committed to cultivating a practice of medicine rooted in compassion, connection, and humanity. Angela’s interests also span climate health, health policy, environmental justice, and health systems resilience. She leads the Hydrogen Blending Resistance Coalition, serves on the Public Health Advisory Council for Los Angeles and Orange County, and has presented at the United Nations (UN) conference.
Bonnie Kim, M.Ed, MBA
Bonnie Kim, M.Ed, MBA is helping shape a more human-centered future for medicine through innovation, compassion, and storytelling. As Director of Innovation at the STAARA Lab and Director of Narrative Research and Education at Stanford’s CCARE, she develops education, experiences, and tools that support well-being, self-compassion, and human connection for doctors and nurses. She also produced the award-winning short film Life Support, screened at more than 90 festivals worldwide and now used in compassion education at CCARE.
Bonnie brings more than 20 years of experience across entrepreneurship, executive coaching, nonprofit leadership, and storytelling. She founded an executive coaching firm where she also trains new coaches. Her clients and collaborators include leaders from the World Economic Forum, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Apple, Google for Startups, LinkedIn, PwC, Ernst & Young, Estée Lauder, Cirque du Soleil, Zapier, Fivetran, Medely, and Compton College. She has spoken on panels including UN Women and is a Council of Urban Professionals Fellow.
Across her work, she is drawn to one challenge: turning meaningful ideas into something that improves how people live, lead, and care for one another.
CCARE Guest Teacher: Carlie Arbaugh, MD, MS, Chef
Carlie Arbaugh, MD, MS is a trained physician, surgeon, chef, and current Clinical Fellow in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Carlie was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Human Biology, Health, and Society in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, studied Human Sciences at the University of Oxford, and worked in quality improvement at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard School of Medicine. Carlie moved to California in 2015 where she completed her medical degree at Stanford School of Medicine with concentrations in Community Health and Global Health followed by a 7-year (categorical academic track) residency in General Surgery at Stanford Health Care. Carlie also completed Certifications in Culinary Arts and Plant-Based Nutrition as well as a Master of Science in Community Health and Prevention Research with a concentration in Applied Contemplative Science.
Carlie’s passions for health equity, education, mentorship, and caring for underserved populations have taken her across California and to places like South Dakota, Alaska, Guatemala, Ecuador, China, Nepal, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe over the past decade. She is curious about the intersection of surgery with culinary, lifestyle, and palliative medicine, and cultivating creative collaborations between them.
Carlie finds peace and joy in cooking, sharing good food and conversation, mindful movement, the awe of nature, and travel, especially with her husband Rana, rescue dog Roxie, and family and friends. She is delighted to join CCARE Immersion!
Erika Rosenberg, PhD
Erika Rosenberg, PhD, is Director of Community and Belonging at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. Beginning in January 2027, she will also serve as Director of Compassion Education. Erika has deep roots at CCARE as a co-creator of Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) with Thupten Jinpa and others and as one of CCARE’s founding teachers.
Dr. Rosenberg brings more than 30 years of experience across the intersecting fields of emotion science, contemplative practice, and education. Her contemplative background spans decades of personal practice and teaching, informing her work to help people better understand themselves and one another, strengthen human connection, and respond to suffering with greater awareness and compassion.
She is a member of the Saron Lab at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, Founding Faculty at The Compassion Institute, and faculty at the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley. An expert in human facial expression and emotion, her scholarship spans affective science, contemplative science, emotional behavior, and health psychology.
Dr. Rosenberg is co-editor of What the Face Reveals with Paul Ekman and co-author of Psychology: Perspectives & Connections. At CCARE, she works to strengthen community across educational programs, build connections with compassion-related work across Stanford, and create opportunities for people to bring compassion into everyday life.
Britta Eskey
Britta Eskey is co-author of CCARE’s Cultivate a Compassionate Heart course and has taught the course since its creation. Britta co-founded COR in 1977. She has been working internationally with people from all walks of life for over 40 years, with a background in social work, family and couple’s therapy, Family Constellation Work, Gestalt Therapy, dance, movement, emotional release, and life coaching. She is the author of the recently published spiritual memoir Initiations in Love, which offers readers meaningful ways to process their pain, and find solace in the genuine nature of the Heart. She co-developed and teaches all the workshops and trainings offered at COR and facilitates COR’s Leadership Development and Advanced Leadership and Facilitation Training. Britta is the host of the Initiations in Love podcast where she explores themes of lived compassion, brave-heartedness, and love in real people’s lives.
Lee Eskey
Lee Eskey is co-author of CCARE’s Cultivate a Compassionate Heart course and has taught the course since its creation. Along with his wife Britta, he is the co-founder and co-director of COR. He has facilitated initiations for men and women with the Mankind Project (MKP) and with COR for more than 20 years. He is certified in Family Constellations and is a facilitator of Non-Violent Communication. Lee is the lead facilitator for the Radiant Woman and Noble Man weekends and facilitates COR’s leadership and facilitation trainings. He is a founding board member of the Non-profit COR Community Foundation which brings the work of emotional growth and healing to under-represented communities in California. Lee is also a professor at John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, CA, where he teaches Mindfulness, Compassion Cultivation, as well as Acting, Voice & Speech, and Shakespeare.
Jennifer Scott
As the Senior Director of Operations, Jennifer Scott oversees operations for CCARE including, strategic planning, program development, financial management, and human resource management to ensure the resources and infrastructure are in place to fulfill our mission of developing compassion through programming and research.
Prior to CCARE, Jennifer was with the University of Washington School of Dentistry RIDE program, focused on training dentists for practice in rural and underserved communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. She also has extensive management experience as the Director of Merchandising for Starbucks Coffee Company.
Jennifer received her BA in Social Welfare/Psychology with an emphasis in Public Health from the University of California Berkeley.
Bornali Basu, PhD
Dr. Bornali Basu, PhD is a psychologist and Clinical Instructor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. She specializes in the treatment of depression and anxiety, working primarily with healthcare professionals navigating work and life transitions, as well as college students to help ease adjustment related distress.
Dr. Basu completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the NYU School of Medicine and previously was a Senior Psychologist at Bellevue Hospital where she founded and was the director of the integrative Mind-Body Program for people living with chronic medical issues. She is a CCARE certified instructor particularly interested in promoting wellbeing among clinicians, has presented at national conferences on the topic and has facilitated compassion-based programs to reduce burnout at multiple healthcare systems in New York. She is on the senior faculty at the Center for Compassionate Leadership.
Bornali is the Co-Director of Compassion in Healthcare at CCARE and a founding teacher of the 8-Week Compassion & Wellbeing in Healthcare course. She is delighted to be part of CCARE’s healthcare team and looks forward to collaborating and connecting with our community.
Sara Owens Woodard, PhD
Sara Owens Woodard, PhD is a retired psychologist whose area of expertise is treating young children with complex trauma and attachment system dysfunction. This work includes training extended family and larger systems serving these young children.
Dr. Woodard provided reflective supervision and training to first responders in underserved communities. These responders included child protection workers, infant home-visitors, indigenous community leaders, teachers, nurses, physicians, therapists, and psychologists.
Dr. Woodard has also developed and delivered short, accessible forms of loving-kindness and compassion training as part of a comprehensive personal development program for physician leaders and operational leaders in a Fortune 100 healthcare organization. These trainings focused on developing skills for emotion regulation, building healthy, collaborative relationships, increasing resilience, and preventing burnout. She delivered similar programs to physicians and professionals in smaller organizations serving children and families in under-resourced communities. Sara is a Buddhist practitioner with almost forty years of formal meditation training.
Sara is the Co-Director of Compassion in Healthcare at CCARE and a founding teacher of the 8-Week Compassion & Wellbeing in Healthcare course. She is excited to be a part of CCARE’s healthcare team.
Tristan Brennan
Tristan Brennan is a Research Assistant at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. He brings intellectual curiosity, disciplined execution, and a deep interest in how rigorous science can support human flourishing in practical and deeply human ways to CCARE’s research initiatives.
Tristan is a Marine Corps veteran and undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies Data Analytics and Social Sciences. His path into research has been intentionally interdisciplinary. He currently coordinates data and study operations at Stanford’s Precision Neurotherapeutics Lab and at the National Center for PTSD at the VA Palo Alto, where his work spans EEG-guided neuromodulation, neuroimaging, and federal data archive pipelines. His earlier work in computational topology, single-cell genomics, and volunteering in Stanford’s Adult Emergency Department reflects a broader belief that some of the most meaningful science happens at the intersections between disciplines, methods, and the communities research is meant to serve.
Tristan’s role is supported by the Project Compassion Fund and the Claire Roscow Fellowship. The fellowship honors Claire Roscow, a Stanford student and early CCARE volunteer whose curiosity, service, and belief in the power of compassion science left a lasting mark on this community. Read more about Claire here.
Tristan’s arrival strengthens our capacity to advance the evidence base for compassion-centered programs and opens new possibilities for research collaboration.
Kyla O’Neill
Kyla O’Neill is the Program and Research Manager at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. Driven by a deep commitment to mission-centered work that fosters learning, human connection, and well-being, Kyla brings expertise in program development, digital marketing, and operational systems to help CCARE’s programs reach the people seeking them.
In her role at CCARE, Kyla manages the day-to-day operations of CCARE’s educational programs — overseeing participant experience, marketing and enrollment, event coordination, and data reporting. She also collaborates with the team on strategic initiatives to help grow and sustain the center’s mission.
Kyla holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Gender Studies from the College of the Holy Cross and an Elementary Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University. Her background spans a decade as an elementary educator, another decade running a small business, and most recently leading program operations for an online career school, enabling thousands of adult learners to successfully embark on a new career. Her varied experience brings a diverse perspective to her work at CCARE.
Kyla’s personal and professional values are closely aligned with CCARE’s mission, and she is committed to building the systems and experiences that help compassion-centered programs flourish and grow.
CCARE Guest Teacher: Sarah Deane
Sarah Deane is a researcher, teacher, and founder advancing the science of human energy and performance. As CEO of MEvolution, she has spent nearly a decade developing an evidence-based framework for understanding human energy as a measurable asset that directly shapes our capacity to execute. Her work has been applied across enterprise, leadership, youth, and healthcare settings, including a recent partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association BC to support caregivers and healthcare workers. Sarah teaches highly rated courses at Stanford Continuing Studies, has guest lectured at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and School of Medicine, and has presented at SXSW, Gartner, and The World Leaders in Data & AI Forum. She holds a Master of Engineering in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, previously led HP’s Worldwide Workplace Experience Program, authored The Wellness Formula, and has been featured in outlets including Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, and Thrive Global.
Diana Adams, EdD
Diana O. Adams, EdD is an Adjunct Professor in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Adams is a psychologist specializing in the management of chronic pain and medical conditions that affect mood and functioning. Her career has focused on hospital- and clinic-based care, with extensive experience working alongside physicians and other health care professionals.
Since joining Stanford in 1995, Dr. Adams has held numerous medical staff leadership roles. In a role uncommon for a psychologist, she was elected by the Community Medical Staff in Psychiatry to serve as Deputy Chief for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for five consecutive two-year terms. She also served for ten years as a voting member of Stanford’s Medical Executive Committee and contributed to several committees focused on medical staff conduct, physician well-being, and psychologist wellness.
Dr. Adams brings a distinctive perspective to health care leadership, informed by decades of clinical work and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by health care professionals. She is the Director of Compassion for Physicians and Psychologists at CCARE and teaches the 8-week course, Compassion Cultivation Training for Physicians and Psychologists.
CCARE Guest Teacher: Kris Evans, PhD(c)
Kris Evans, PhD(c) is a social health psychologist at Stanford’s Mind & Body Lab, where he studies how mindsets shape health, well-being, and performance. His research focuses on how people recognize, work with, and regulate their mindsets, with publications in journals including Experimental Psychology, Education, JMIR, and Mindfulness. Blending scientific rigor with practical wisdom, Kris draws on his extensive experience in yoga and mindfulness to support individuals across athletic, educational, and organizational settings. He is driven by a commitment to helping people build healthier, more meaningful, and more fulfilling lives.
Maryam Makowski, PhD
Dr. Maryam S. Makowski, PhD is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Associate Director of Scholarship and Health Promotion for Stanford Medicine’s WellMD & WellPhD. As a medical nutrition scientist, Certified Nutrition Specialist, and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Dr. Makowski provides nutrition consultations and well-being coaching to Stanford School of Medicine faculty and Stanford Medicine residents and fellows. She also serves patients of the Lifestyle Psychiatry Clinic.
Dr. Makowski’s research focuses on identifying strategies to minimize physician fatigue and stress, and optimize their wellbeing. In her coaching , she uses evidence-based strategies to empower her clients by cultivating compassion for themselves and others with the ultimate goal of improving their well-being, energy and focus for peak performance.
In recognition of her coaching efforts, she received the 2024 Annual Chairman’s Award for Clinical Innovation and Service in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.
CCL Guest Teacher: Al’ai Alvarez, MD
We are deeply honored to welcome Al’ai (LA) Alvarez, MD, a nationally recognized physician leader and champion of humanizing healthcare, as one of our CCARE Compassion Lab guest teachers.
Dr. Alvarez serves as Interim Director of Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) and Director of Well-Being for Stanford Emergency Medicine, where he leads innovative, evidence-based initiatives that integrate compassion and wellness into high-performance clinical environments. A Clinical Professor at Stanford, Dr. Alvarez has dedicated his career to preventing clinician burnout, enhancing team performance, and fostering wellness-centered, compassionate leadership.
His work bridges medicine, human performance, connection, and purpose—bringing insights to transform how teams thrive under pressure. Dr. Alvarez regularly delivers grand rounds and keynotes at institutions across the U.S. and internationally and his leadership continues to influence physician well-being nationally and internationally.
As a graduate of both CCARE’s Applied Compassion Training and Compassion Cultivation Training, Dr. Alvarez is a physician who truly walks his talk. His personal practice and lived commitment to these principles allow him to embody the integration of science and compassion that lies at the core of our CCARE Compassion Lab.
Through his session on “Self-Compassion in the Face of Adversity,” LA will offer CCL training participants a powerful window into what it means to bring courage and compassionate presence into the most difficult aspects of our lives and work.
We are grateful to welcome our dear colleague and friend, Dr. LA Alvarez, into the CCARE Compassion Lab!
CCL Guest Teacher: Kristen Neff, PhD
Kristin Neff, PhD is the Associate Professor of Human Development and Culture, in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Texas at Austin.
While doing her post-doctoral work she decided to conduct research on self-compassion, which had not yet been examined empirically. She developed a theory and created a scale to measure self-compassion more than 20 years ago. Dr. Neff has written numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic and has been recognized as one of the most influential scholars in the field of psychology. Well over 5000 studies have been conducted on self-compassion by various scholars since her seminal articles were first published in 2003.
In addition to her academic work, Dr. Neff is author of the books Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, and Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive.
In conjunction with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she developed an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion and co-founded the nonprofit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, which offers self-compassion training in a variety of formats. Drs. Neff and Germer co-authored The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals, and in fall 2024 their latest book was published, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout: Tools to Help You Heal and Recharge When You’re Wrung Out by Stress.
CCL Guest Teacher: Nikki Mirghafori, PhD
Nikki Mirghafori, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher and Artificial Intelligence (AI) scientist.
Nikki serves as a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, teaches at the Insight Meditation Center, and is a Stanford-trained Compassion Cultivation Instructor. Nikki’s teaching style combines clarity and warmth, and she delights in exploring deep topics of courageous compassion as well as mindfulness in daily life.
Additionally, Nikki has been a researcher and inventor in AI, holds multiple patents and is the author of several scientific research articles. She has directed international research programs as the Principal Investigator, mentored postdocs and PhD students, taught graduate courses at UC Berkeley, and been a scientific advisor to Silicon Valley technology startups.
As an Iranian-American, Nikki has taught contemplative practices internationally and aspires to serve as a champion for wisdom and compassion in our world, as well as ethical AI in our zeitgeist.
You can learn more about Nikki HERE.
Jennifer Nadel
Jennifer Nadel is a pioneer in the emerging field of compassionate politics, working to bring the science and practice of compassion into the political arena. She speaks globally about the transformative power of compassion and provides training to those working in the political arena including at the UN and the UK Houses of Parliament.
She founded the think tank, Compassion in Politics, together with Matt Hawkins in 2018. It works on a cross-party basis with 100+ politicians in the UK to improve political processes and outcomes and their advice is sought internationally. Their original research is cited in parliament, influences policy, and has led to new legislation being debated. In 2022 she helped establish the Global Compassion Coalition which now has a global reach of millions.
Jennifer advises and trains grassroots and national campaigns, has run for the UK Parliament, and served on the National Executive Committee of the Green Party. In 2018 she stepped away from party politics to focus on building common ground.
Her Sunday Times Bestseller, WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere, co-authored with Gillian Anderson, is a guide to inner and outer change and a rallying cry to move to a less me-centric society. It was featured on shows including CBS This Morning, The View, Dr Oz, the BBC and ITV. Jennifer continues to provide training based on it.
Her most recent book, How Compassion can Transform our Politics, Economy and Society, co-edited with Matt Hawkins, has been hailed as a guide to creating a more compassionate world.
Jennifer is a qualified barrister and award-winning journalist who has broadcast for the BBC. and ITV, from around the world. A regular media commentator, Jennifer speaks internationally at organisations including: Google, Apple, Bloomberg, AOL Build, JP Morgan, the Oxford Union, and at leading universities. American born, she’s currently based in London.
Monica Worline, PhD
Monica Worline, PhD is an organizational psychologist and founder and CEO of EnlivenWork, an innovation organization that teaches businesses and others how to tap into courageous thinking, compassionate leadership, and the curiosity to bring their best work to life. Monica is an award-winning teacher and an interdisciplinary scholar who has served on the faculty of Goizueta Business School at Emory University and on the faculties of the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine and the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology.
Monica’s writing has been featured in publications such as Harvard Business Review, Chicago Tribune, and BizEd Magazine and her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly and Organization Science. She authored the book Awakening Compassion at Work and is a founding member of the CompassionLab, the world’s leading research collaboratory focused on compassion at work.
Monica completed her doctoral work in organizational psychology at the University of Michigan and is a member of the Positive Organizational Scholarship community housed in the Ross School of Business. She earned her BA with distinction and honors at Stanford University, where her emphasis on humanities continues to provide a strong foundation for her unique blend of critical thinking and creativity.
Emma Seppala, PhD
Emma Seppala, PhD is Science Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University. Her areas of research include positive organizational psychology, health psychology, and cultural psychology. In particular her research has focused on well-being, compassion, social connection and mind-body practices.
She is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post, and Scientific American Mind. She also consults with Fortune 500 leaders and employees on building a positive organization and is the author of an upcoming book on the science of success, The Happiness Track, published by HarperOne (January 2016). She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Fulfillment Daily, a news site dedicated to the science of happiness.
Dr. Seppala’s research has been cited in numerous television and news outlets including ABC News and The New York Times and she is quoted in books such as Congressman Tim Ryan’s Mindful Nation . Her research on mind-body practices for military veterans with trauma was highlighted in a documentary called Free the Mind by award-winning filmmaker Phie Ambo. She is the recipient of a number of research grants and service awards including the James W. Lyons Award from Stanford University, where she helped found Stanford’s first academic class on the psychology of happiness and taught many well-being programs for Stanford students.
Dr. Seppala received a BA in Comparative Literature from Yale University, a Master’s Degree in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University, and a PhD in Psychology from Stanford University. She completed her postdoctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Dr. Richard Davidson. Originally from Paris, France, she speaks five languages: French, English, German, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Outside of her experiences in the US, she has worked in France and China.
For more, see her website.
Roozbeh Aliabadi, PhD
Dr. Roozbeh Aliabadi, PhD, is an entrepreneur, a global thought leader in AI education, an author, and an advocate for ensuring artificial intelligence serves humanity with ethics, empathy, and compassion.
Dr. Aliabadi is the co-founder and CEO of ReadyAI.org, an organization dedicated to bringing AI education to students in over 150 countries. He is also the co-founder of the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY), a global initiative that empowers young minds to solve real-world challenges through AI, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and ethical leadership.
As an author, Dr. Aliabadi has written extensively on AI’s role in education, including books for educators, parents, and children. His latest work, “Intro to AI for Parents (Pocketbook): A Guide to Sparking Fun and Meaningful Conversations with Your Kids about Artificial Intelligence,” helps families engage in meaningful discussions about AI and its impact. His insights on AI and global affairs have been featured in BBC, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, NIKKEI Asian Review, and USA Today.
Dr. Aliabadi has delivered keynote addresses at major global conferences, including Web Summit, AI Global Summit, Global Silicon Valley Forum, and the Aspen Forum. His talks explore AI ethics, education, and the future of compassionate AI, bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and human-centered values.
His research focuses on the intersection of AI, education, and human-centered technology, particularly emphasizing how AI can enhance social-emotional learning, foster inclusivity in education, and support global digital equity.
Dr. Aliabadi earned a Ph.D. from Robert Morris University, focusing on AI interventions in education, a Master’s degree in International Political Economy, and a Bachelor’s in Finance and Economics from the University of Pittsburgh. With eight years of service in the U.S. Army Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), he brings a global perspective to the ethical considerations of AI. His expertise in human psychology, education, and geopolitics makes him a leading advocate for AI that empowers and uplifts humanity.