Emma Seppala

EMMA SEPPÄLÄ is Science Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University and a leading expert on health psychology, well-being, and resilience. Her research has been featured in the New York Times, ABC News, Forbes, the Boston Globe, U.S. News & World Report, the Huffington Post, INC, and Fast Company.

She is founder of the popular online magazine Fulfillment Daily and a frequent contributor to Psychology Today, Harvard Business Review, and the Huffington Post. Her writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, Scientific American Mind, and Spirituality & Health.

Seppälä consults for Fortune 500 leaders on building positive organizations. A sought-after speaker, she has addressed academic, corporate, and governmental institutions, including Google, the National Science Foundation, and the World Bank.

Dedicated to applying the science of happiness to people’s lives, she taught happiness and service classes to hundreds of students, for which she was awarded Stanford University’s Lyons Award for service. Touched by the selfless dedication of veterans and the profound trauma so many bring back from war, she conducted groundbreaking research on mind-body practices for combat veterans. This research was highlighted in the documentary film Free the Mind.

She holds an undergraduate degree 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.

Originally from Paris, France, she is a native speaker of French, English, and German. She also speaks Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.