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Thomas Swan

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Assistant Research Fellow, University of Otago

My academic career began in a completely different field: physics! I have a Masters in nuclear astrophysics (2007) and a PhD in nuclear structure (2011) from the University of Surrey. For several reasons, I changed fields to pursue what had become my intellectual passion: the psychology of religion. I began work at Queen's University Belfast where I obtained a Masters in Cognition and Culture (2012). After a couple of years away from study, I found my way to the University of Otago, where I completed a PhD in experimental social psychology in 2019. Shortly afterwards, I took up a part time role as a research adviser and statistical consultant within Otago's Centre for Science Communication.

Experience

  • 2019–present
    Research adviser and statistical consultant, University of Otago

Education

  • 2019 
    University of Otago, PhD, Experimental Social Psychology
  • 2012 
    Queen's University Belfast, MA, Cognition and Culture
  • 2011 
    University of Surrey, PhD, Nuclear Structure
  • 2007 
    University of Surrey, MPhys, Nuclear Astrophysics

Publications

  • 2019
    The Mickey Mouse problem: Distinguishing religious and fictional counterintuitive agents, PLOS ONE
  • 2012
    Hindered decays from a non-yrast four-quasiparticle isomer in 164Er, Physical Review C
  • 2011
    Discovery of a nonyrast Kπ = 8+ isomer in 162Dy, and the influence of competing K-mixing mechanisms on its highly forbidden decay, Physical Review C
  • 2011
    Discovery of isomers in dysprosium, holmium, and erbium isotopes with N = 94 to 97, Physical Review C