Piotr Szymanek

Piotr Szymanek serves as Assistant Professor at the Department of Phenomenology, Anthropology, and Psychology of Religion at Jagiellonian University. He is simultaneously pursuing his PhD at the Jagiellonian University Doctoral School of the Social Sciences. His academic background combines cognitive science and religious studies, creating a unique interdisciplinary approach to understanding religious phenomena.

Dr. Szymanek's research interests focus on the intersection of cognitive science and religious experience. His work explores cognitive mechanisms underlying faith, with particular emphasis on agency detection, predictive processing, and cognitive artifacts. His research bridges experimental cognitive psychology with religious studies, creating novel approaches to understanding how humans process religious concepts and experiences. His work demonstrates how cognitive science can provide valuable insights into religious phenomena without reducing them to mere cognitive byproducts.

Analysis of Szymanek's publications reveals a consistent focus on how cognitive mechanisms shape religious experiences and beliefs. His work spans experimental studies using virtual reality, theoretical commentaries on cognitive models, and investigations into specific religious practices like Buddhist deity yoga. The research demonstrates sophisticated methodological approaches including preregistered studies, Bayesian modeling, and interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks that connect cognitive science with religious studies.

• Professor Perzanowski Award for the best master's thesis in cognitive science

Dr. Szymanek collaborates on significant research projects including the Open Science of Religion project 'Revisiting Feeling of Threat and Agency Detection' and the NCN OPUS grant 'Cognitive artifacts of various time scales.' He is a member of the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Lab at Jagiellonian University and maintains active collaborations with 'Tygodnik Powszechny' research department and the Copernicus Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies. His academic contributions extend to both scholarly publications in high-impact journals and popular science articles that make complex cognitive science concepts accessible to broader audiences.

Dr. Szymanek is actively involved in academic instruction, teaching courses such as 'Religion and the Mind' and 'Quantitative Data Analysis Workshops' for the 2024/2025 academic year. His teaching reflects his interdisciplinary approach, bridging cognitive science methodologies with religious studies content.