Matthijs den Otter is associate member of the Extreme Beliefs Research group, besides working for the city of Utrecht as an advisor in the fields of prevention of radicalisation, extremism and polarisation. Earlier, he worked for several organisations as a researcher and consultant on these topics.

His expertise is the relationship between religion, society and government, strengthening the democratic legal order, and organising dialogue about colliding values and among religions.

Den Otter holds a BA (honours) in Theology, a Bsc in Organisation Science and a Msc in Public Administration from VU University Amsterdam.