Prof. Dr.
Andrea Rota
Andrea Rota studied science of religion, contemporary history, and social anthropology at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). He held postdoctoral positions at the Universities of Bayreuth, Fribourg and Bern, where he is currently Assistant Professor at the Institute for the science of religion. His main research interests are the public presence of religion (with particular attention to public schools), the history of religion and the social sciences, the use of media technologies in religious contexts and philosophical theories of collective action.
Simon Michel, M.A.
Simon Michel studied sociology and pedagogy at the University of Basel (Switzerland). He is responsible for the subproject The dynamics of religion and the social sciences. In this context, he is particularly interested in sociological theories on the development of new disciplines, the question of social change and social actors, and how cognitive transfer processes and normative expectations can take place between religion and science.
Christina Wyttenbach, M.A.
Christina Wyttenbach studied sociology and contemporary history at the University of Fribourg and at the University of Utrecht, as an exchange student. She is conducting research on the subproject Emerging religiosity, emerging assessments. In addition to investigating the intersections of religious, scientific, and state actors in relation to the development of research and advice centers on new religious movements, she examines how translocal and transnational networks were at stake during their institutionalization process.
Rebecca Farner, B.A.
Rebecca Farner is completing her MA study in Religion in Contemporary Society at the University of Bern. She works as a research assistant within the project carrying out various scientific tasks.