Brian J. Grim, Ph. D., is president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF) and a leading expert on international religious demography and the socio-economic impact of restrictions on religious freedom. Brian recently served as chair of the World Economic Forum’s global agenda council on the role of faith (2015-16). Brian holds a visiting professorship at St. Mary’s University in London, supports and works closely with the “Business for Peace” platform of the United Nations Global Compact, and is a Distinguished Fellow at the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC.

Along with numerous other affiliations, Brian holds a doctorate in sociology from the Pennsylvania State University and is author of many articles and books including The Price of Freedom Denied (Cambridge Univ. Press), The World Religion Database (Brill), The World’s Religions in Figures (Wiley), and The Yearbook of International Religious Demography (Brill). Dr. Grim writes the Weekly Number Blog and also is a TEDx speaker. He also writes the Weekly Rhyme, adding to a large body of poetry he’s written through the years.  He has appeared as an expert on global religion on numerous media outlets, including CNN, BBC, Fox, CBS, C-SPAN, and regularly presents to high level audiences throughout the world including the White House, State Department, European Parliament, the Vatican, and various the United Nations bodies including the Human Rights Council, and the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the UN Global Compact.