Dimitris Xygalatas, Principal Investigator

Dimitris is an Associate Professor in the departments of Anthropology and Psychological Sciences. His research primarily focuses on cultural practices that soothe, excite, unite and divide humans, such as ritual, sports, and music.

Christopher Manoharan, Graduate Researcher

Chris is a graduate student in the Anthropology Department at UConn.
His research focuses on Sufi theology and rituals, which he studies in his field site in Turkey.

Mohammad Amin Saraei, Graduate Researcher

Mohammad is a graduate student in the Psychology Department at UConn.
His conducts research in the cognitive science of religion, with a focus on Islamic rituals.

Sevgi Demiroglu, Graduate Researcher

Sevgi is a graduate student in Anthropology at UConn. Through ethnographic research on contemporary mourning rituals and application of evolutionary theories in the cognitive science of religion, she studies the complex relationship between pain and religiosity.

Matthew Jané, Graduate Researcher

Matt is a doctoral student in the Behavioral Neuroscience program at the Department of Psychological Sciences, where he is affiliated with the SHARP Lab, led by Blair T. Johnson. His research focuses on meta-analysis and statistical modeling of sensory discrimination and cognitive abilities.

Caitrin Hall, Graduate Researcher

Cat is a doctoral student in the Center for the Ecological Study of Perception & Action at the Department of Psychological Sciences at UConn, where she is affiliated with the dyscord lab, led by Alex Paxton. Her research focuses on  interpersonal coordination and group behavioral dynamics, and how social contexts influence health outcomes.