Dr. Baland Jalal is a researcher at Harvard University and previously a visiting researcher at Cambridge. He obtained his PhD at Cambridge University  (School of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College Cambridge) and was a Fellow at Harvard (2016, 2018).

He has published over 50 peer-reviewed academic papers and co-authored with Devon Hinton (Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School) a book by Cambridge University Press, 2020 (“Transdiagnostic Multiplex CBT for Muslim Cultural Groups: Treating Emotional Disorders”).

He has lectured worldwide including at Harvard, Oxford, London School of Economics and UCL, and invited to give two TEDx talks. He’s been invited to speak at Oxford University four times, including the  Sherrington Society – one of the oldest and most prestigious medical societies in the world, which hosts talks by high-profile doctors and scientists. He was recently recruited as a lecturer at Peterson Academy (founded by the famed Dr. Jordan B Peterson and his daughter Mikhaela).

He is a close collaborator of the renowned VS Ramachandran (2011, TIME Magazine – 100 Most Influential People in the World), with whom he has published 10 papers. His PhD supervisors at Cambridge were Barbara Sahakian and Trevor Robbins (the latter ranked “the 4th most influential brain scientist of the modern era” by Science Magazine; and the best neuroscientist/psychologist in the world, by research.com).

The Telegraph described him as “one of the world’s leading experts on sleep paralysis”. He was ranked the “top-rated expert in sleep paralysis in the world” on Expertscape based on scientific impact in the past 10 years. Was listed by Van Winkle (“sleep blog” by Casper Sleep) as one of the “15 Most Interesting People in Sleep” (researchers, writers, and cultural figures). His treatment for sleep paralysis was described in New York Magazine, as “the most effective talisman against sleep paralysis”. 

His work has been featured in the press in over 30 countries including  The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Today Show, The BBC, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, NBC News, New York Magazine, The Times, Forbes, The Telegraph, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Fox News, Vox Media, Der Spiegel, Discovery, New Scientist, Discover Magazine, VICE, and PBS (NOVA). He’s appeared on TV and radio like BBC one and two, and the Pulse (NPR); and a recent documentary by the BBC.

He writes for Time Magazine, Big Think, Scientific American, and his recent essay/op-ed featured on the cover of the Boston Globe.