He graduated with his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of British Columbia in 2010, before joining the UO faculty. His research explores the evolutionary origins of and psychological mechanisms underlying moral behavior, with a special focus on the positive and negative social consequences of religions and related cultural beliefs—including that of free will. His work has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed and popular press outlets including Science, Scientific American, and The New York Times. In 2012, he was awarded the Margaret Gorman Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association (Division 36).