Associate Professor Tom Aechtner

Associate Professor in Religion and Science, Discipline Convenor for Studies in Religion

+61 7 336 52823

t.aechtner@uq.edu.au

Room E322, Forgan Smith Building (1)

Research Interests

Associate Professor Aechtner's research analyses science scepticism and science-religion discourse, with a focus on vaccine hesitancy, antievolutionism, scientism, mass persuasion, and public perceptions of science. He also has secondary research interests associated with religion in the African diaspora, Pentecostalism, and Global Christianity.

Current Research Project

Associate Professor Aechtner is working on several projects related to his research interests. He has been a Westpac Research Fellow and a UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award recipient on the project “Improving Vaccination Rates in Australia: Analysing Media, Religion and Policy.” He has been a co-investigator on the ARC Linkage project, "The Queensland Atlas of Religion", as well as a member of the "Science and Religion Exploring the Spectrum: A Global Perspective" project.

Featured projects	Duration
Teaching science-religion conflict Summer Research Scholarship	2015–2016
Improving Vaccination Rates in Australia: Analysing Media, Religion and Policy Westpac Bicentennial Foundation Research Fellowship	2017–2019
Vaccine Uptake Challenges and Mass Persuasion	2020

Publications

Books (3)

Book Chapters (11)

Journal Articles (19)

Newspaper Article (1)

Creative Work (1)

Books

Aechtner, Thomas (2023). Antivaccination and vaccine hesitancy: A professional guide to foster trust and tackle misinformation. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003312550

Aechtner, Thomas (2020). Media and science-religion conflict: mass persuasion in the evolution wars. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429356544

Aechtner, Tom (2015). Health, wealth, and power in an African diaspora church in Canada. New York, NY, United States: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9781137485496

Book Chapters

Aechtner, Thomas (2023). Why do people have vaccine hesitancy?. Antivaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy. (pp. 28-65) London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003312550-2

Aechtner, Thomas (2023). Suspicious hesitancy. Antivaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy. (pp. 66-95) London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003312550-3

Aechtner, Thomas (2023). Better advocacy. Antivaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy. (pp. 164-189) London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003312550-6

Aechtner, Thomas (2023). Starting strong. Antivaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy. (pp. 130-163) London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003312550-5

Aechtner, Thomas (2023). Questioning safety. Antivaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy. (pp. 96-129) London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003312550-4

Aechtner, Thomas (2023). Understanding vaccination and antivaccination. Antivaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy. (pp. 1-27) London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003312550-1

Aechtner, Thomas (2021). Science. Brill's Encyclopedia of Global Pentecostalism. (pp. 568-571) edited by Michael Wilkinson, Conny Au, Jörg Haustein and Todd M. Johnson . Leiden, Netherlands: Brill.

Aechtner, Thomas H. (2019). Teaching warfare: Conflict and complexity in contemporary university textbooks. Rethinking History, Science, and Religion: An Exploration of Conflict and the Complexity Principle. (pp. 160-180) edited by Bernard Lightman. Pittsburgh, United States: University of Pittsburgh Press.

Aechtner, Thomas (2018). Social scientists. The Warfare between Science and Religion: The Idea That Wouldn’t Die. (pp. 302-323) edited by Jeff Hardin, Ronald L. Numbers and Ronald A. Binzley. Baltimore MD, United States: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Aechtner, Tom (2014). Christianity and Science: A Messy Relationship Worth Studying. Christianity for the Curious: Why Study Christianity?. (pp. xx-xx) edited by Vaidya, Kishor. online: Curious Academic Publishing.

Aechtner, Thomas H. (2012). Standing at the crux: pentecostalism and identity formation in an African diaspora Christian community. Global Pentecostal movements: migration, mission, and public religion. (pp. 171-194) edited by Michael Wilkinson. Boston, United States: Brill.

Journal Articles

Acharya, Shruti, Aechtner, Thomas, Venaik, Sunil and Dhir, Sanjay (2024). Bibliometric analysis of vaccine hesitancy research from behavioural perspectives (2015-2022). Journal of Risk Research, 27 (2), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/13669877.2024.2317318

Aechtner, Thomas and Farr, Jeremy (2022). Religion, trust, and vaccine hesitancy in Australia: an examination of two surveys. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 35 (3), 218-244. doi: 10.1558/jasr.22476

Zambon, Oliver and Aechtner, Thomas (2022). Evolving religion-science perspectives of the Bhaktivedanta Institute and ISKCON. Nova Religio, 25 (3), 57-86. doi: 10.1525/nr.2022.25.3.57

Raciti, Maria, Brosnan, Kylie, Lagasca, Carmela, Gordon, Ross and Aechtner, Thomas (2022). COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A précis of formative research findings about Queenslanders. Australian Association of Social Marketing Viewpoint, 11 (1), 6-8.

Aechtner, Thomas (2021). Creationism with an Australian accent: Politics, schools, and global exportation. Almagest, 12, 124-148. doi: 10.1484/j.almagest.5.125388

Aechtner, Thomas (2020). Distrust, danger, and confidence: a content analysis of the Australian Vaccination-Risks Network Blog. Public Understanding of Science, 30 (1), 963662520963258-35. doi: 10.1177/0963662520963258

Aechtner, Thomas (2020). Improving evolution advocacy: translating vaccine interventions to the evolution wars. Zygon, 55 (1), 27-51. doi: 10.1111/zygo.12577

Aechtner, Thomas (2020). Cues, values and conflict: reassessing evolution wars media persuasion. Scientia et Fides, 8 (2), 249-284. doi: 10.12775/SETF.2020.021

Aechtner, Thomas and Zambon, Oliver (2019). Convergent antievolutionism and the Hare Krishnas. Theology and Science, 17 (3), 292-296. doi: 10.1080/14746700.2019.1632516

Aechtner, Thomas and Buchanan, Malcolm S. (2018). Science and religion perspectives at St. John’s University of Tanzania (SJUT). Journal of Contemporary Religion, 33 (2), 337-345. doi: 10.1080/13537903.2018.1469280

Zambon, Oliver and Aechtner, Thomas (2018). Vaishnavism, antievolutionism, and ambiguities: revisiting ISKCON's Darwin-skepticism. Zygon, 53 (1), 67-94. doi: 10.1111/zygo.12395

Aechtner, Tom (2016). Terrorism in the evolution wars: mass media and human nature. Theology and Science, 14 (4), 495-517. doi: 10.1080/14746700.2016.1231983

Aechtner, Thomas (2016). Challenging the Darwin skeptics: examining proevolutionist media persuasion. Journal of Media and Religion, 15 (2), 78-99. doi: 10.1080/15348423.2016.1177346

Aechtner, Thomas (2015). Galileo still goes to jail: conflict model persistence within introductory anthropology materials. Zygon, 50 (1), 209-226. doi: 10.1111/zygo.12149

Aechtner, Thomas (2014). Darwin-skeptic mass media: examining persuasion in the evolution wars. Journal of Media and Religion, 13 (4), 187-207. doi: 10.1080/15348423.2014.971559

Aechtner, Thomas H (2011). Review of 'Science and the spirit: a Pentecostal engagement with the sciences' edited by James K. A. Smith and Amos Young. Canadian Journal of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity, 2 (1), 166-170..

Aechtner, Thomas H. (2010). Online in the evolution wars: an analysis of young earth creationist cyber-propaganda. Australian Religion Studies Review, 23 (3), 277-300. doi: 10.1558/arsr.v23i3.277

Aechtner, Thomas H (2010). Review - God: the failed hypothesis: how science shows that God does not exist, by Victor J. Stenger. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, 4 (3), 231-232. doi: 10.1558/jsrnc.v4i3.231

Aechtner, Thomas H (2009). Review of 'Saving Creation: Nature and Faith in the Life of Holmes Rolston III', by Christopher J. Preston. Theological Book Review, 21 (2), 62-63.

Newspaper Article

Aechtner, Thomas (2021, 01 14). Vaccine deniers are a minority in Australia, but a successful rollout hinges on facts and honesty The Guardian

Creative Work

Aechtner, Thomas (2020). Uq vaccination choice. St Lucia, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.

Areas of research

Religion and Culture