To read profiles of our researchers, Q&As, explanations of methods and terms, and other general interest topics, refer to this page.
Through the Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion (IBCSR) and the journal Religion, Brain, & Behavior, CMAC has been a key player in the subfield known as cognitive science of religion (CSR). This subfield is sometimes also called the…
In a recent post, we shared some basic background to the scientific study of religion, which has been one major focus of CMAC’s work. If you want more introductory information on this area of research, check out what our collaborator…
In recent months, the Center for Mind and Culture (CMAC) has become part of a broader organization, Just Horizons Alliance. What is this new organization and how does CMAC fit into it? Just Horizons Alliance is a strategic change engine.…
We recently interviewed CMAC Postdoctoral Fellow Rachel Bacon and Research Assistant Abigail Wester about the LISDA project. In Part 3 of the interview, Rachel and Abigail discuss initial lessons from the project and its future aims. (In Part 1, Rachel…
The academic journal Religion, Brain, & Behavior, co-sponsored by CMAC’s Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion (IBCSR) since its founding in 2011, has had a major impact on the scientific study of religion. What does a typical journal issue…
We recently interviewed CMAC Postdoctoral Fellow Rachel Bacon and Research Assistant Abigail Wester about the LISDA project. In Part 2 of the interview, Rachel and Abigail describe the current workflow of the project. (In Part 1, Rachel described the history…
We recently interviewed CMAC Postdoctoral Fellow and Executive Assistant Dave Rohr about The Book of Uncommon Rituals, part of a CMAC research project that is being facilitated by Wildhouse Publishing. This project connects Ritual for the Nonreligious, a CMAC project,…
We recently interviewed CMAC alum Jenn Lindsay about the film production process and funding of her upcoming film Minding Shadows (see part 1 of this interview here). Check out the crowdfunding campaign here. Note that the campaign ends on July…
We recently interviewed CMAC alum Jenn Lindsay about her career as a filmmaker and the role that her work with CMAC and IBSCSR played into launching her into her current work. Check out the crowdfunding campaign for her upcoming film…
We recently interviewed CMAC Postdoctoral Fellow Rachel Bacon and Research Assistant Abigail Wester about the LISDA project. In Part 1 of the three-part interview, Rachel describes the history of the project and how it came to be hosted at CMAC. …
Generative AI has been at the forefront of discussions about the future of almost every field recently. It has the potential to drastically transform how we work and how we think. In many ways, the transformation has already begun. Tools…
There is a growing demand for computational and data-science methods in public interest research. Academics need computational and software intensive solutions, and it can be a daunting to find a technical expert, vet them, communicate the goals of the project,…
Cognitive Science of Religion The Colloquium, convened by Dr. Wesley J. Wildman, meets weekly for interdisciplinary discussions of the scientific study of religion. The group is a friendly and supportive environment for people making their way in the scientific study…
The first season of our podcast DigEthix, hosted by CMAC Doctoral Fellow Seth Villegas, has wrapped. The podcast breaks down issues of ethics and technology from both a technical and sociopolitical perspective. Our goal is to help the next generation…
In the summer of 2020, CMAC brought on our first full-time demographer, Rachel Bacon. Rachel is working on the Modeling Religious Change project, adapting traditional demography methods to cooperate with cutting edge methods in computational simulation. Following the release of…
Last year, Rachel Bacon started at CMAC as a Postdoctoral Fellow working full-time on the Modeling Religious Change project. She has a wide variety of academic experience in sociology and demographics of religion. We’re excited to introduce you to Rachel!…
Earlier this year, we welcomed George Hodulik to the CMAC team as a Creative Solutions Designer. George comes to CMAC with years of technical experience in software engineering and an eagerness to do more good with data. Find out a…
CMAC Research Associate F. LeRon Shults recently published Practicing Safe Sects: Religious Reproduction in Scientific and Philosophical Perspective. The book is now open access and anyone can download it for free! Shults’ book addresses how conceptions of supernatural agents arise…
In April 2011, the first issue of Religion, Brain & Behavior was published by Taylor & Francis, adorned then as today with William Blake’s “Web of Religion”. The journal provides “a vehicle for the advancement of current biological approaches to understanding religion…
Dave Rohr has been in the CMAC network since 2013 as a doctoral fellow. He’s now stepping into a new role as a postdoctoral fellow and joining the admin staff as an Executive Assistant. Learn more about Dave’s background and…