Welcome.
After spending a year as a postdoctoral researcher at UBC Vancouver, I returned to the University of Amsterdam in March 2013. In Vancouver I primarily worked with prof. Steven Heine as part of the Centre for Human Evolution, Cognition, and Culture (HECC). Currently, I am in Amsterdam conducting research with my colleagues at the Amsterdam Uncertainty Lab.
My main research interests revolve around the psychological functions of religious and secular belief systems, and how effective these are in helping individuals cope with threatened perceptions of order and meaning.
Short bio:
I graduated in Cultural and Personality Psychology at the Radboud University Nijmegen in 2004 and obtained a second MSc, in Social Psychology, at the University of Amsterdam in 2006 (cum laude). After working as a research assistant at the Social Psychology department for a year, I started my PhD project in Amsterdam in February 2008. In June 2012, I defended my thesis (cum laude).
From April 2012, I have been working as a postdoctoral fellow at UBC Vancouver on a 1-year grant that focuses mainly on compensatory responses to control- and meaning threats. I am currently working at the University of Amsterdam as assistant professor.
Contact me at: bastiaan.rutjens@gmail.com
