Oxford Faculty of Theology and Religion

30/10/2026

📢 Opportunity Alert | DPhil Scholarship

Applications are now open for a DPhil Scholarship for New Perspectives in Theological Pedagogy in light of Artificial Intelligence, funded by the McDonald Agape Foundation.

The scholarship supports doctoral research exploring the opportunities and challenges AI presents for teaching and learning in theology.

• Open to Home and International applicants
• Deadline: 7 January 2027, 12:00 midday (UK time)

🔗 Find out more and apply: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/dphil-theology-and-religion

28/10/2026

We’re delighted to welcome Dr Ian Turner to the Faculty of Theology and Religion as a Postdoctoral Fellow, supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) through a Canada Postdoctoral Research Award!

An anthropologist of religion and literary historian specialising in Nepal and the indigenous Newar community, his research interests include Buddhist Studies, comparative literature, translation and South Asian Studies.

Learn more about his work and research on his profile: https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-ian-turner

23/10/2026

“Why does Theology and Religion Matter?”

We asked Joshua Yen, an MPhil in Philosophical Theology student at the Faculty of Theology and Religion and Oriel College, this question. Watch the video to hear his thoughts!

🎓 Interested in studying theology and religion at Oxford?

Find out more about our graduate courses and how to apply: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/departments/theology-and-religion

14/10/2026

🔔 Event Alert || Inaugural Lecture by Professor Luke Bretherton (Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology): ‘The Struggle to Be Human: Christian Humanism and the Future of Our Common Life’

In this lecture, Professor Luke Bretherton will examine the struggle over the meaning and purpose of human life, arguing that contemporary societies face two intertwined crises: a crisis of human agency and a crisis of institutional imagination. In response, he will explore Christian humanism as a vision of human flourishing rooted in solidarity, care, mutual responsibility, and common action, and consider how participatory democracy might enable solidarity across difference and help strangers become neighbours within just and generous forms of common life.

Date: Monday 16 November
Time: 17:00 (followed by drinks reception)
Venue: Lecture Theatre, Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford

Registration is free.

Book your place today: https://www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/spektrix/ChooseSeats?EventInstanceId=67601AVHPCSTMMBKTGKLCGLQQCGMMBVSK

09/10/2026

NEWS | University of Oxford awarded a £1.6m John Templeton Foundation grant to support research project exploring artificial intelligence through theological enquiry

Based at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, the three-year project is led by Principal Investigator Dr Lyndon Drake, alongside Co-Investigators Prof. Mark Harris, Prof. Andrew Davison, Prof. Joshua Hordern and Dr Tim Middleton.

‘God and the Machine’ will bring theological scholarship into dialogue with the technical realities of AI, exploring how Large Language Models interact with theological texts and how AI systems are reshaping human thought, knowledge and behaviour. The project aims to bring theological insight into wider conversations about AI’s role in scholarship and contemporary life.

The project is made possible through the support of grant #63871 from the John Templeton Foundation.

Read the news here:https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/article/university-of-oxford-awarded-1.6m-john-templeton-foundation-grant-for-god-and-the-machine

The Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford has been awarded a major John Templeton Foundation grant to support 'God and the Machine', a new research project exploring artificial intelligence through theological enquiry.

30/09/2026

Applications are now open for postgraduate study in Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford!

Explore our graduate courses and find out how to apply:
https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/departments/theology-and-religion

18/09/2026

🎉 Congratulations to our recent MSt in Theology graduate Sarah Jones on being awarded the prestigious Peacocke Prize for Science and Religion!

Sarah received the prize for her paper, The Metaphysics of the God–World Relation within Relational Quantum Mechanics.

The Peacocke Prize recognises outstanding work exploring the relationship between science and religion and celebrates excellence in innovative, interdisciplinary research.

🔗 Read more: https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/article/graduate-sarah-jones-wins-prestigious-peacocke-prize-science-and-religion

27/08/2026

News || Dr Lyndon Drake, Research Fellow in AI at the Ian Ramsey Centre, University of Oxford, is interviewed by The Times on the ‘Oxford Oath for AI Professionals’ and ethical responsibility in AI development.

Read the full interview: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/technology-uk/article/ai-hippocratic-oath-university-oxford-368j2ndf2

21/08/2026

Professor Mark Harris, Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion and Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre, is featured in a University of Oxford ‘Pulse’ profile exploring his journey from experimental physics to theology and his work at the intersection of science, religion and the humanities.

The interview traces his career from the discovery of spin ice to his current work leading the ‘Quantum Worldviews Project’, which brings together scholars from theology, philosophy, history, education and the social sciences to explore what quantum mechanics might mean for our understanding of reality, identity and purpose.

Professor Harris also discusses why the familiar idea of science and religion as opposing forces is too simplistic, and how the ‘quantum humanities’ could offer new ways of thinking about the meaning and implications of quantum mechanics.

Read the full University of Oxford Pulse profile: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/pulse/society-culture/mark-harris

21/08/2026

Live debate examining the moral issues behind one of the week's news stories.