Matthijs den Otter is external PhD candidate 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.

In his research, he focuses on the role that belief in the afterlife plays for fundamentalists, how this belief impacts their lives and what the most important sources of knowledge of this belief are.

His broader 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.