Martin Baumann is Professor of the Study of Religions at the Faculty for Humanities and Social Sciences and current vice-chancellor for the advancement of research at the University of Lucerne in Switzerland. He obtained his Ph.D. with a thesis on Buddhists and Buddhist communities in Germany in 1993 at the University of Hannover (Germany) and received his habilitation graduation with a post-doctoral thesis on Hindu tradition in diasporic contexts in 1999 at the University of Leipzig (Germany). Since 2001, he is professor for the Study of Religions at the University of Lucerne (Switzerland). His teaching and research interests focus on immigration and religion, diaspora communities and religious pluralism, new religions, and Hindu and Buddhist traditions in the West.