Usman Afzali

About

I serve as a lecturer in the Religious Studies Programme | Mātai Wairuataka at the University of Otago | Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, teaching papers in science of religion. In addition, I am an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing | Te Kura Mahi ā-Hirikapo at the University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha. As a collaborator on the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS), my research centres on socio-political psychology, human flourishing, and wellbeing across religious and non-religious groups. In 2023-2024, I led the Muslim Diversity Study (MDS)—a multi-city, longitudinal project established during my Templeton Religion Trust-funded postdoctoral fellowship. While the fellowship has ended, the MDS continues under my co-leadership along with Prof Joseph Bulbulia (Victoria University of Wellington) and focuses on the socio-political psychology, wellbeing, and flourishing in the Muslim community of New Zealand. At its peak, I coordinated a team of 30 research assistants, and I continue to work closely with collaborators to deepen our understanding of Muslim experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand. More broadly, I come from a multidisciplinary background that integrates cognitive sciences, neuroscience, social psychology, and the scientific study of religion. Currently, My research explores how religious beliefs and practices shape human cognition, behaviour, and social dynamics. Methodologically, I draw on experimental, neuroscientific (EEG/ERP), longitudinal, cross-sectional, quantitative, and qualitative approaches to investigate complex questions about the human mind, behaviour, and society. During my PhD, I received advanced training in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, with a particular focus on memory suppression and the use of event-related potentials (ERPs) to detect concealed knowledge—work that intersects with forensic neuroscience. My first postdoctoral fellowship expanded my expertise into contemplative neuroscience, where I investigated the neural correlates of meditative and religious practices. Areas of Research Interest: - Human flourishing - Scientific study of religion - Socio-political psychology - Contemplative neuroscience - Cognitive psychology: memory suppression - Forensic neuroscience Current Projects: 1. As co-principal investigator (PI) in the Muslim Diversity Study 2. As PI in "Controlling unwanted memories: A multisite registered replication of the Think/No-Think effect" 3. As PI in "Resting EEG microstates during contemplative practices" 4. As PI in the "Artificial Intelligence-Based Crime Detection in Aotearoa: Real-life and Virtual Reality Applications" 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. I have taught the following courses: 1. Religion and Human Behaviour, University of Otago (2025-Present) 2. Psychology of Religion, University of Otago (2025-Present) 3. Introduction to the Scientific Study of Religion (2025-Present) 4. Computational Contemplative-Neuroscience, University of Canterbury (2023-2024) 5. Intermediate Research Methods and Statistics (2022-2024) 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.

Education

Publications