Lobsang Tenzin Negi (legal name Satya Dev Negi)Teaching Professor, Department of Religion. Executive Director, Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics, (On Leave)
Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Emory Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics (formerly the Emory-Tibet Partnership) and a Teaching Professor in Emory University’s Department of Religion. In addition to his PhD, Dr. Negi holds a Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest-level degree in Tibetan monastic education, reflecting advanced training in both Western scholarship and Tibetan contemplative traditions. Since 1998, he has supervised Emory’s academic collaborations with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. A pioneer in the field of contemplative science, Dr. Negi’s research explores the relationship between mental and emotional states and physical and social wellbeing. He developed CBCT® (Cognitively Based Compassion Training) in 2004, a secular, research-based program for cultivating compassion, and directs the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, which integrates modern science into monastic education. At the Dalai Lama’s invitation, he led the creation of SEE Learning®, a global Pre-K through Higher Education framework for social, emotional, and ethical learning. Dr. Negi is also founder and spiritual director of Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta, Georgia. For his contributions to education, ethics, and the integration of science and contemplative wisdom, Dr. Negi has been awarded numerous recognitions, including Emory University’s prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award in 2024, which honors faculty and staff who have significantly enriched the intellectual and civic life of the Emory community, a degree honoris causa from Rutgers University in 2025 for his erudition, scholarship, and work at Emory University, the Charter for Compassion Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Award in 2025, which recognizes individuals and organizations whose life work advances compassionate action, moral courage, and a deep commitment to our shared humanity.
Education
- PhD, Emory University, 1999
- Geshe Lharam, Drepung Loseling Monastic University, 1994
- MA, Institute for Buddhist Dialectics, 1984
Research and Teaching
- Relationship between mental / emotional state and physical / social well-being
- Effects of compassion and mindfulness meditation
- The impact of introducing modern science into the Tibetan Buddhis monastic curriculum
- Development K-12 education curricula addressing Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning
Websites
