Introducing Dr. Claudia Aguirre

What do you do?

I am a neuroscientist with a passion for making science fun and enjoyable. I will be getting into the nitty-gritty neuroscience of mindfulness and meditation and working on some exciting new Headspace projects in 2015. Stay tuned!

What did you do before?

I was a research scientist. I was a spokesperson for a major professional skincare company. I was an educator for the aesthetics industry and for the general public through the TED platform. But I suppose I am still researching, speaking, writing and educating so these really are still a part of what I do today.

How did you come to be working for Headspace?

It all happened quite organically. I had been weaving the science of mindfulness into my lectures and articles and met Andy online a couple of years ago. In fact, I was a user of the app for a couple years already, telling my friends about it along the way. After learning Headspace was opening their new office a stone’s throw from my home this past Summer, I reconnected with Andy to congratulate him on the success and new location. This led to several conversations about our shared passions and how we could collaborate on bringing mindfulness and meditation to a broader audience - needless to say, I’m very happy to be collaborating with Headspace and bringing awareness to a common cause: getting more people to treat their head right!

What’s your career highlight (until now of course)?

I’ve been lucky enough to see the world while educating on all things skin-science related while working full-time as well as consulting in the skincare industry. Ultimately, the volunteer work I’ve done has been extremely rewarding, even for my career. I’ve produced three educational animated videos for TED Education, two of which were picked this year by TED as the top 9 TED Ed videos to watch. My last two videos garnered over a million views within their first week of posting, signifying that science can be fun enough to go viral!

What can users expect to hear from you?

A lot of brainy stuff.

What excites you most about Headspace?

Mindfulness made the cover of TIME magazine in January. The Neuroscience of Meditation made the cover of Scientific American this past November. I’m super excited to have found an amazing platform in Headspace to further educate the world about the benefits of mindfulness. We’re in the midst of a ‘mindful revolution’ but I think it will have a lasting effect on our collective psyche and health, and I’m happy to be a part of it all.

Is there any question you’d like to put to our readers?

What are you curious about? Do you want scientifically-backed info to sort fact from fiction when it comes to the latest in health and wellness? I’m here to bring you the facts, ask away!