Asbjørn Dyrendal

Asbjørn Dyrendal is a Professor at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, NTNU. His research focuses on conspiracy theories, contemporary religious movements, Western esotericism, and Satanism. He leads the KONSPISK research group on conspiracy theories in schools and contributed to the COST project COMPACT (2015-2020). Formerly editor of CHAOS and International Journal for the Study of New Religions, he currently sits on editorial boards of Implicit Religion and others. Key projects include studying conspiracy beliefs among adolescents and analyzing the intersection of conspiracy culture with psychology.

Education: Doctoral work in religious studies. Teaching responsibilities include core courses on religious systems (RVI 1010), contemporary Western religion (RVI 2125), and master's thesis supervision (RVI 3900). Active in dissemination through public lectures and media engagements.

Research emphasizes theoretical-methodological questions in religious studies, with publications spanning over 25 years. Notable works include Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion (2018) and Conspiracy Theories in Schools (2024). Current projects address conspiracy beliefs in educational contexts and their psychological predictors.