Usman Afzali, PhD (Psyc), MD

Postdoctoral Fellow & Lecturer (Teaching and Admin), Psychology, University of Canterbury



Contact

Curriculum vitae



School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing

University of Canterbury

20 Kirkwood Avenue, Upper Riccarton Christchurch, 8041 New Zealand




Usman Afzali, PhD (Psyc), MD

Postdoctoral Fellow & Lecturer (Teaching and Admin), Psychology, University of Canterbury



School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing

University of Canterbury

20 Kirkwood Avenue, Upper Riccarton Christchurch, 8041 New Zealand



About


Thanks for visiting. This website is not up-to-date. For the most recent stuff, please follow 
https://usman-afzali.github.io/web3/

I am the lead researcher (principal investigator) of the Muslim Diversity Study, currently working as a postdoctoral research fellow and lecturer in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand).

In the multi-city longitudinal Muslim Diversity Study, my team and I concentrate on investigating the effects of religion on social attitudes, values, resilience, flourishing, meaning-making, overall well-being, and experiences of Muslims in New Zealand. In this capacity, I lead a team of 28 research assistants and numerous collaborators, fostering a collaborative and enriching research environment.

During PhD, I  received training in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, with a primary emphasis on memory suppression and utilising brainwave (EEG/ERP) data to examine possession of criminal knowledge. Additionally, my research encompasses contemplative neuroscience, where I aim to explore neural correlates of contemplative practices.

I use experimental (behavioural as well as neuroscientific) and observational research methods.

Fields of Research
  • Human flourishing
  • Psychology of religion
  • Contemplative neuroscience
  • Cognitive psychology: memory suppression
  • Forensic neuroscience
Current Projects
Research Supervision

Since 2021, I have developed a track record of effective leading and supervising research at different levels (PhD, Masters, and Honours).
Teaching

My experience encompasses teaching statistics, research methods, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience, consistently earning positive feedback each year. I take pride in my ability to embrace constructive criticism and continuously enhance my teaching approach. Currently, I teach the following courses:
Coding

I use GitHub with RStudio and Quarto to learn, produce, and share code. Occasionally, I use Matlab and Python too.

Career Goals

My immediate goal is to become a permanent (tenure-track) lecturer in the field of psychology. Psychology and science fascinate me a great deal and my lifelong goal is to conduct good science and contribute to open science.  

Contact



School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing

University of Canterbury

20 Kirkwood Avenue, Upper Riccarton Christchurch, 8041 New Zealand


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