Writing & Scholarship

I write about contemporary intersections of science and religion. My research interests include the human brain, animals, pop culture, American politics, and the making of science.

I hold a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.Phil in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University. My scholarship focuses on neuro-cognitive theories of religion and argues for a pluralistic epistemology of biology and culture.

I am also a journalist and essayist. Alongside Michael Schulson, I co-founded and co-edited The Cubit, a blog for Religion Dispatches about religion and science. 

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

Articles & Essays

• Does Analytic Thinking Erode Religious Belief?
• Our Robotic Usurpers Are Already Here
• A Cognitive Account of our Failure to Understand Ferguson 
• Is Sam Harris a White Supremacist? Parts One & Two (with Michael Schulson)
• The Problem with Pew's Science and Religion Poll (with Michael Schulson)
• Why Science Needs Neurodiversity, Autism Included

Interviews

• Rob Bell (with Michael Schulson)
• Daniel Dennett
• The First Transhumanist Presidential Candidate
• On Animal Religion
• Near-Death Experiences & Acid Trips
• Spiritual History of Jazz

Scholarship & public talks

Many of the pieces below are not yet available online, as they draw from my current book project. Please contact me if you'd like to know more.

• Defining "Religion" as Natural: A Critical Invitation to Robert McCauley
• "The Religion of Homo Nexus," 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion
• "Neuroplasticity in an Age of Enhancement," 2015 Invited Lecture at the College go Charleston
• "Cosmos Revisited," 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion
• "Religious Studies After the Multiverse," 2013 Invited Response at UNC-Chapel Hill