Ruben is a PI and Asst. Professor at Southern Cross University, where his research uncovers empirically grounded and experientially authentic models of meditation, insight, psychedelics, and consciousness. Using a combination of methods including neuroimaging, machine learning, and phenomenology, his team is investigating some of the rarest states of consciousness available to human beings. Ruben’s research has been featured widely in popular media, including The New York Times, TIME, TEDx, Vice, ABC, Aeon, VOX, New Scientist, and in the Nature collection. Ruben is also a chief investigator on Australia’s largest psychedelic clinical trial, supported by ~$4million in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and the Peregrine Foundation. Ruben has an eclectic contemplative background, including traditions such as Zen, Advaita, and Theravada Buddhism.