About
Mátyás (pronounced ‘Matthias’ in English) is Research Fellow in Freedom of Religion or Belief at Regent’s, which he joined in December 2023. He completed his PhD in Divinity at the University of St Andrews in 2022 and subsequently held a postdoctoral research position at Liverpool Hope University. He holds master’s degrees in Theology and Communication and Media Studies. Before beginning his doctoral studies, he spent seven years working as a presenter, editor, and reporter for Hungary’s public service radio broadcaster.
Responsibilities
Mátyás is principal investigator of the Lived Experiences of Freedom of Religion or Belief in the United Kingdom project. He is a member of the College’s Centre for Law and Religion.
Research
Mátyás’s research focuses on freedom of religion or belief, religious conversion, Muslim–Christian relations, and the public representation of religion. He primarily uses grounded theory methodology to develop explanations of religious and social processes, drawing on interviews and other qualitative data. His current research examines media coverage of religious and non-religious belief organisations and their responses to reputational threats. He is also co-developing the FoRB Monitor, an AI-assisted platform for identifying, organising and mapping publicly documented incidents relating to freedom of religion or belief.
-
Selected Publications
Books
- Bódi, M., Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom: Organisational Challenges in the United Kingdom, (Springer, 2026).
- Bódi, M., How Somali Muslims Become Christians in Europe: A Theory of Religious Conversion and Disclosure, (Routledge, 2026).
Articles and Research Papers
- Bódi, M. & McGrail, P., ‘Making a Permanent Deacon: Theorising Recruitment, Selection, Formation, and Deployment in the Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool', Transformation, 42(1), (2025), pp. 83–102.
- Bódi, M., ‘Pentecostal–Charismatic Christianity and the Transition from Communism in Hungary', in Vondey, W. & Ciciliot, V., eds., Brill’s Encyclopedia of Global Pentecostalism Supplements, (Brill, 2026).