I am a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Otago. My work sits at the intersection of social, cognitive, and neuroscientific approaches to religion, with a focus on how belief systems shape wellbeing, behaviour, and intergroup relations.

I am a member of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS), one of the country’s largest longitudinal social surveys. Within this framework, I initiated and lead the Muslim Diversity Study (MDS), a longitudinal booster programme designed to address the underrepresentation of Muslim communities in national data. This work enables detailed, population-level analyses of wellbeing, identity, discrimination, and social attitudes, and contributes to both academic research and policy-relevant conversations in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Research

My research examines how religious beliefs and practices influence cognition, behaviour, and social dynamics. I draw on a range of methods, including:

This work reflects a broader interest in human flourishing, particularly in the context of cultural and religious diversity.

I have a multidisciplinary background spanning cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and the scientific study of religion. During my PhD, I specialised in memory suppression and event-related potentials (ERPs), including applications to forensic neuroscience. My postdoctoral work expanded into contemplative neuroscience, examining the neural correlates of religious and meditative practices.

Teaching

My teaching sits within Psychology and focuses on connecting theory, empirical methods, and real-world applications.

Current courses include:

I also have experience teaching:

My approach emphasises clarity, methodological understanding, and critical engagement with data.

I supervise research across Psychology and related areas, including cognitive, social, and interdisciplinary projects. I have experience supervising PhD, Master’s, and Honours students and welcome enquiries from students interested in my research areas.

I work primarily in R (RStudio, Quarto) and use GitHub for reproducible workflows. I also use MATLAB and Python where appropriate.