Asbjørn Dyrendal

Asbjørn Dyrendal is a full professor at NTNU's Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies since 2010. He holds a PhD in Religion from the University of Oslo and has been a central figure in Norwegian academic and public discourse on conspiracy theories, new religious movements, and alternative spiritualities. His administrative roles include serving as vice-chair or chair of multiple departments from 2002-2025, reflecting his leadership in restructured academic units.

His research focuses on contemporary Western religion, with emphases on conspiracy culture, apocalypse narratives, Satanism, and the interplay between rationalism and esoteric belief systems. Notable contributions include pioneering work on 'conspirituality'—the fusion of spirituality and conspiracy theories—and analysis of QAnon's political-religious dimensions. He co-edited influential works like Conspiracy Theories and the Nordic Countries and authored Konspirasjonsteorier i skolen (2024), addressing conspiracy education in schools.

Academically, he has held editorial roles for journals like Skepsis and Chaos, and was a key figure in the EU-funded COST Action on conspiracy theory analysis (2015-2020). His awards include Fellowship in the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (2019-2023). He actively engages in public outreach, designing strategies to counter misinformation and promote critical thinking, particularly in educational contexts.

His teaching spans theories of religion, Western esotericism, and contemporary religious phenomena. Supervision focuses on conspiracy cultures, new religious movements, and the sociology of alternative medicine. Recent work emphasizes adolescent exposure to conspiracy theories and their societal implications.