Carlos S. Alvarado has a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Edinburgh, and holds masters degrees in parapsychology (MS, John F. Kennedy University), and in history (MA, Duke University). His work has centered on survey research (on out-of-body experiences and other psychic experiences) and studies about the history of psychical research.

Alvarado is Assistant Professor of Research at the University of Virginia, and Adjunct Research Faculty at Sofia University (formerly Institute of Transpersonal Psychology). He is on the editorial boards of theJournal of Near-Death Studiesand theJournal of the Society for Psychical Research, and an Associate Editor of theJournal of Scientific Exploration. Alvarado is also the recipient of the 2010 Parapsychological Association's Outstanding Contribution Award and of the 2010 Harold and Sherry Crasilneck Award for Best First Paper on Hypnosis published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Hypnosis.

He is one of the editors of Research in Parapsychology 1993 (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1998) and the author of booklets for introducing parapsychology to the general public (Getting Started in Parapsychology. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 2002; Apuntes para una Introducción a la Parapsicología. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1999). His scientific and scholarly work has been published in psychology, psychiatry, and parapsychology journals.