Dr. Nikki Mirghafori is an internationally recognized Buddhist teacher and artificial intelligence scientist. She is a lineage holder in the Theravada tradition, empowered by the Burmese meditation master Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, with whom she practiced the jhanas and detailed analytical (Abhidhamma-style) vipassana. She also received empowerment from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Insight Meditation Society, Insight Meditation Center, and is a Stanford-trained compassion cultivation instructor.  
 
Dr. Mirghafori has been a researcher and inventor in AI, holding multiple patents. She is coauthor of more than 40 scientific research articles. She has directed international research programs as the Principal Investigator, mentored postdocs and PhD students, taught graduate courses at University of California, Berkeley, and has been a scientific advisor to Silicon Valley technology startups.
 
She serves as a stewarding teacher and on the board of directors at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, and also as a dharma teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. She teaches 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.