Dr. Vervaeke holds a BA from McMaster University, BSc., MA, and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He teaches in the Department of Psychology – cognitive science and the Buddhism, psychology, and mental health program – at the University of Toronto. He also teaches classes in insight meditation and tai chi at the university's Multifaith Centre.

His research interests are: the cognitive science of relevance realization, the nature of general intelligence, the nature of consciousness, the nature of wisdom, rationality, insight problem solving, conceptual metaphor, the methodology of theoretical psychology, and the growing confluence between cognitive science, neuroscience, and Buddhism.

He has won several teaching awards including the APUS undergraduate teaching award for "outstanding teaching in the category of the humanities."