Earned his Ph.D. at Cambridge working under Stephen Hawking to study the first second of the Universe. He is President of the Scientific Medical Network and a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Queen Mary University of London. He was an early researcher on the Anthropic Principle. He was a visiting professor at Kyoto University, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and various universities in the U.S. and Canada. He is the editor of Universe or Multiverse?

Is a senior astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. She studied physics at MIT, where she discovered the comet 114P/Wiseman-Skiff, which led to her Ph.D. in astronomy at Harvard University. She is fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation, a network of Christians in Science. She is also Director Emeritus of the program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion. She has appeared in many science and news venues, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NOVA and National Public Radio.

Earned her doctorate in biochemistry. She is Assistant Professor of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development at the University of Minnesota. She studied at Harvard University for five years under Noble Laureate Dr. Jack Szostak. She also studied at the University of Rome. Her research on prebiotic RNA replication provided an experimental scenario for the RNA world hypothesis of the origin of life. Her lab studies the origin and early evolution of life. Her research interests are on synthetic cells, cell-free protein expression, and engineering genetic pathways.

Earned his Ph.D. from Cambridge University where he was appointed to the Chair of Evolutionary Palaeobiology in the Department of Earth Sciences in 1995 and is now Professor Emeritus. He has participated extensively in science and religion debates, broadcasting on both radio and television. He has lectured at many universities worldwide including the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, sponsored by the Catholic Church. He was awarded the prestigious Templeton Prize in 2026.

Designed the first microprocessor, making computers possible. He left his Catholic faith for years. Inspired by a profound mystical experience, he returned to his faith and studied consciousness and free will. With a doctorate in physics, he founded Synaptics to study his passion: quantum consciousness and artificial neural networks. His 2024 book Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature, documents his theory of consciousness and love. He founded the Federico & Elvia Faggin Foundation to support scientific research. President Obama awarded him the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. 

Is Director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology & Health and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University. He is the lead author of the Handbook of Religion and Health, the seminal research text on the relationship between theistic religion, interfaith worship, and meditative prayer, which is the most cited of all references on religion and health. He has published 65 books on the subject. In 2022 he was ranked 1^st in the world by ScholarGPS in the academic discipline of spirituality.

Is faculty member of the Center for Action and Contemplation founded by Fr. Richard Rohr. Fr. Thomas Merton was Finley’s novice master and spiritual director while he was a monk at the Trappist monastery of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology and primarily works with people suffering from the long-term effects of internalized trauma and how contemplative prayer can increase their quality of life. He has written numerous books and currently hosts the podcast Turning to the Mystics.

Is Chairman and Cofounder of interfaith Contemplative Network and retired Vice Chairman of Houston’s Institute for Spirituality and Health, in world’s largest medical center. With a Ph.D. in physical chemistry, he wrote the theme book for this conference and textbook for graduate courses in Rome and Houston. He coauthored numerous neuroscience research papers on quality-of-life improvements and neuroplasticity changes associated with interfaith contemplative prayer (CP). He has given many international, interfaith presentations and courses on the convergence of faith and science; his passion is CP treatment of mental illnesses.

Is a world renowned Catholic Benedictine Monk and Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation, an inclusive, global, contemplative community. Before becoming a monastic, he studied at Oxford University and worked at the United Nations. He has written many books on Christian mystical prayer and collaborated with the Dalai Lama on the common ground of humanity in education, medicine, and science. Freeman’s efforts on health and meditation led to a Contemplative Healthcare initiative at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

Is a Catholic deacon serving the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Motivated by a profound mystical experience, he returned to practicing his faith and researching theology and science, having degrees in both. He was Thomas Keating’s emissary in response to the Dalai Lama’s invitation to engage in dialogue on contemplative research. He was spiritually inspired at Trappist monasteries: Gethsemani, Kentucky when Thomas Merton was there, and Snowmass, Colorado under Thomas Keating’s mentorship. Travels to over 100 countries often included teaching interfaith centering prayer.

Is a practicing Kabbalist prayer practitioner and leader, is active at Congregation Brith Shalom in Houston, and is a board member of interfaith Contemplative Network. He practiced clinical and forensic psychiatry for 45 years and specializes in PTSD. He and his wife, Judith, have collaborated on books and jointly treated patients. He is a docent at the Holocaust Museum in Houston. He believes in the museum’s critically important message and the mission from which society can gain strength, compatibility, and sustained freedom.

Is a practicing Kabbalist having earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy and Education from Claremont Graduate University. She is Dean of ALEPH Ordination Program and former Director of Inter-Religious Studies at Vancouver School of theology. She is also Professor Emerita of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Rabbi Emerita of Or Shalom Synagogue. She was awarded the Carnegie Foundation’s prestigious U.S. Professor of the Year Award. She’s written several books including The Infinity Inside: Jewish Spiritual Practice Through a Multi-Faith Lens.

Is a popular speaker on Islam, Sufi spirituality and prayer, and interfaith relations having published many books on the subject. He is board member of Contemplative Network. Along with his Interfaith Amigos, he has been featured in the New York Times, CBS News, BBC, and various NPR programs. Jamal is co-founder and Muslim Sufi minister at Interfaith Community Sanctuary and adjunct faculty at Seattle University. He is a former co-host of Interfaith Talk Radio and travels nationally and internationally presenting at retreats and workshops.

Is a popular speaker on Islam and Sufi spirituality and prayer. She is a lecturer at the University of British Columbia on Quranic Arabic. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in religion and studied at Duke University, the University of Chicago, and universities in Cairo and Jedda. She has published extensively with interests in Sufism and comparative mysticism, Islamic and Muslim feminism, theology and exegesis, and Muslim vocal arts. Her music put to Rumi’s poems, captures the gentleness of “surrender to God” that Sufism espouses.