Prof. Melanie Nyhof wins international research grant

Melanie Nyhof, professor of psychological science, has been awarded a research grant from the International Research Network for the Study of Science & Belief in Society.

The grant will fund her work examining the impact of scientific knowledge and supernatural beliefs on concepts of death in Tana Toraja, Indonesia. Prof. Nyhof is collaborating on the project with an international team of researchers, including Professor Claire White (Cal State Northridge) and Professor Izak Lattu (Satya Wacana Christian University). The team proposes to use a multi-methods approach to measure the development of both scientific and cultural understandings of death.

Prof. Nyhof is an internationally-recognized leader in the scientific study of religion. Her work views religious rituals and beliefs through a developmental and cross-cultural lens. She has conducted research among different religious and cultural groups in the United States, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Brazil, and China, examining understanding of illness causation, personhood, God concepts, afterlife beliefs, knowledge, and religion.

Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:

Psychological Science Department

For more information, contact:

Anthony Barnhart: abarnhart@carthage.edu