Dr Maxinne C. Panagopoulos

Dr Maxinne C. Panagopoulos content lecturer facing camera

Dr Maxinne C. Panagopoulos

Originally from South Africa, Dr Maxinne C. Panagopoulos is a lecturer at the University of Highlands and Islands and is the Module leader for Social and Evolutionary Psychology and Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology (CHIP). She also lectures in qualitative research methods across the course and is involved in the supervision of student dissertations at UHI and the University of Glasgow. Maxinne is an active researcher in the field of Psychology of Religion.

Qualifications:

  • PhD, Conversion from Islam to Christianity among Iranian migrants in Glasgow: University of Glasgow. Supervised by Prof Stephen McKinney and Dr Georgina Wardle.
  • MSc, Psychological Studies: University of Glasgow
  • A Psychology (Hons): University of the Witwatersrand
  • A Psychology: University of the Witwatersrand

Research:

Maxinne is the co-founder and director of the Centre for Christianity and Psychosocial Research (CCPR). Through the CCPR, she has conducted research on a variety of aspects of religion and mental health such as perceptions of self-harm, spiritual reductionism in relation to mental illness and belief in demons and the supernatural.

She is also a podcaster for The Religious Studies Podcast and has researched and hosted episodes relating to Satanic panic, white witch doctors (Sangoma) in South Africa, conspiracy theory belief and spiritual healings. Overall, her research interests include all aspects of psychology of religion, mental wellbeing and identity.