Baylor Professor Awarded International Prize for Research in Psychology of Religion

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Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321

WACO, Texas (March 16, 2017) – The International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR) awarded the Godin Prize for the Scientific Study of Religion to Wade Rowatt, Ph.D., professor of psychology in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Once every four years, IAPR awards the Godin Prize to a senior scholar who excels in the study of the psychology of religion. Rowatt was nominated for the Godin Prize by a committee of five scholars from Europe and the United States.

“It’s very affirming to receive this research award named for André Godin, a professor of psychology of religion who pioneered and encouraged the use of more rigorous scientific theory and methods to study the important roles of religion in people’s lives,” Rowatt said. “Those of us who continue to work in the field are simply carrying the torch handed to us by our mentors and we’re passing it on to the students we mentor.”

Rowatt’s research focuses on the connections between dimensions of religiousness, prosociality and prejudices using methods and empirical approaches common in social and personality psychology. He also studies the positive psychology of humility.

“Dr. Rowatt is among the world’s most accomplished scholars in the psychology of religion, and my colleagues and I in psychology and neuroscience are thrilled to see him receive the Godin Prize,” said Charles Weaver, Ph.D., department chair and professor of psychology and neuroscience. “We are fortunate to have such a distinguished scientist and gifted teacher and mentor at Baylor University, and we are grateful that many more generations of Baylor students will benefit from Dr. Rowatt’s expertise.”

IAPR is an international organization founded in 1914 to promote scientific research and exchange in the psychology of religion. The IAPR has no religious affiliation.

“IAPR is a small but thriving and diverse group of researchers from around the world who study the psychology of religion,” Rowatt said. “IAPR’s peer-reviewed journal, the Archive for the Psychology of Religion, publishes empirical and theoretical work aimed at better understanding the development of religiousness and its functions.”

With the Godin Prize, Rowatt was awarded 1,000 euros and invited to present a keynote lecture at the next IAPR conference in Norway this August.

by Kalli Damschen, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

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Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

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