Ten Top Innovators in Empathy Research, Science, and Technology Development

Empathy is no longer just a personal virtue—it’s a driving force behind social innovation, education reform, digital design, and even artificial intelligence. Across disciplines, visionary thinkers are asking: How can we better understand each other? How do we translate care into systems, tools, and culture? And perhaps most importantly: How do we make empathy scalable in a world that urgently needs it?

These ten innovators—scientists, designers, educators, and engineers—are helping to answer those questions. Their work stands at the intersection of empathy and action, and their contributions are helping shape a more connected, compassionate, and emotionally intelligent future.

This list is not exhaustive—it’s a starting point. And we invite you to help grow it, by nominating others who are pushing empathy forward in their own fields and communities.

1. Tania Singer – The Neuroscientist Who Mapped Compassion

A pioneer in the field of social neuroscience, Tania Singer has conducted groundbreaking research on how empathy and compassion show up in the brain. Her work distinguishes between emotional contagion (feeling what others feel) and compassion (a motivated, other-focused response to suffering). She has designed training programs, including the ReSource Project, that show how meditation and emotional exercises can increase empathic behavior and resilience over time. Her research provides scientific proof that empathy can be taught and that compassionate minds are healthier minds.

2. Jamil Zaki – The Empathy Gym Coach

Psychologist and Stanford professor Jamil Zaki argues that empathy is like a muscle—and we can build it with practice. In his influential book The War for Kindness, he presents empathy not as a fixed trait but as a flexible skill shaped by our choices, environments, and culture. Zaki’s research explores how people can overcome bias, reconnect in the digital age, and foster empathy even in divided communities. He’s also a compelling voice in translating scientific insight into practical, hopeful strategies for everyday life.

3. Helen Riess – The Physician Who Taught Doctors to Feel

When Helen Riess, a Harvard psychiatrist, realized how empathy was disappearing from clinical practice, she set out to change medical culture. She developed the Empathetics training program—a neuroscience-based curriculum that teaches healthcare providers how to recognize emotional cues, regulate their own reactions, and engage more fully with patients. Her work has transformed the doctor-patient relationship by showing that compassion isn’t just good ethics—it leads to better outcomes, less burnout, and greater satisfaction on both sides.

4. Rana el Kaliouby – The Emotion AI Visionary

An Egyptian-American computer scientist and former MIT researcher, Rana el Kaliouby co-founded Affectiva, a company at the forefront of Emotion AI. Her goal? To create technology that can read and respond to human emotions—not to replace humans, but to make technology more human. Her software, now used in everything from market research to mental health, can interpret facial expressions, tone of voice, and microemotions. Her TED Talks and memoir (Girl Decoded) are powerful reflections on empathy in both technology and leadership.

5. Chris Milk – The Storyteller of Empathy Through VR

Chris Milk believes that immersive storytelling is the most powerful tool for building empathy. Through his company Within and projects like Clouds Over Sidra (which places viewers inside a Syrian refugee camp), he has shown how virtual reality can help people experience lives very different from their own. By engaging the senses and removing emotional distance, Milk’s work invites viewers to feel with others—not just think about them. It’s storytelling with real-world consequences.

6. Mary Gordon – The Kindergarten Revolutionary

Mary Gordon founded Roots of Empathy, a school-based program that brings babies into classrooms to teach children about emotional literacy, perspective-taking, and care. The program has reached over a million children worldwide and is proven to reduce aggression and increase pro-social behavior. By helping students witness the vulnerability and needs of a baby, the program lays the groundwork for empathy early in life—before prejudice or cynicism can take hold. It’s one of the most innovative approaches to empathy education ever created.

7. Sherry Turkle – The Critic of Screen Culture—and Champion of Real Connection

MIT professor Sherry Turkle has spent decades studying how technology shapes our relationships. In books like Reclaiming Conversation and Alone Together, she explores how smartphones, texting, and automation can erode empathy and intimacy. But she also offers hope: we can reclaim meaningful communication through intentional listening, face-to-face dialogue, and a renewed commitment to emotional presence. Her work reminds us that digital empathy starts with human habits.

8. Paul Ekman – The Facial Decoder of Emotion

Paul Ekman is a psychologist best known for identifying the universal facial expressions of emotion. His research—used by law enforcement, therapists, and filmmakers alike—shows how emotions are revealed through subtle muscle movements, and how accurately reading those cues enhances empathy and trust. Ekman’s work inspired the TV show Lie to Me and has been instrumental in developing emotionally aware AI and intercultural communication tools. He’s a master of making the invisible visible.

9. Ayse Birsel – The Empathy-Driven Designer of a Good Life

As a leading industrial designer and co-author of Design the Life You Love, Ayse Birsel brings empathy into everyday life through design thinking. Her workshops and tools guide people to redesign their own lives with joy, purpose, and reflection. In product design, she emphasizes inclusive, accessible solutions that serve real human needs. Birsel’s approach merges creativity with compassion—and proves that design is not just about how things look, but how they make us feel.

10. David DeSteno – The Empathy Economist

David DeSteno’s research at Northeastern University explores how emotions influence moral behavior and decision-making. His work shows that gratitude, compassion, and empathy are not just warm feelings—they’re strategic advantages in building cooperation, trust, and long-term success. He bridges science and spirituality by studying how ancient practices like meditation enhance empathy. In his books (Emotional Success, The Truth About Trust), DeSteno reframes empathy not just as a social good, but as a survival tool in a rapidly changing world.

Conclusion: Building the Empathy Ecosystem

These ten leaders are not just advancing the science and tools of empathy—they are changing how we think about connection, care, and what it means to be human in the digital age. Their work spans classrooms, clinics, labs, startups, and studios. Some are building technology. Others are building relationships. All are building hope.

Empathy innovation is not a solo endeavor. It’s an ecosystem. It needs researchers, developers, designers, educators, storytellers, and—most of all—community.

We share this list as a beginning. If you know someone who belongs here, we want to hear from you. Because empathy isn’t just something we study. It’s something we celebrate, elevate, and share.