After training as a cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist at the University of Lisbon, I studied Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, where I have lectured for the past twenty years. In 2010, I began researching the effects of meditation practices, which led me to write The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? and later edit The Oxford Handbook of Meditation.
I speak internationally on the science of meditation and self-transformation, and have written for a range of media outlets, including New Scientist and the BBC. In 2017, my work was recognised with the William Bier Award from the American Psychological Association.
I am also a musician and have written for some of Portugal’s leading composers and singers, including Cristina Branco.