Science and Religion (Research)

Postgraduate study of Science and Religion invites you to bring together the two great truth-seeking disciplines and understand the ways in which they both challenge and inform each other. This interdisciplinary venture is more than the sum of its parts.

You will make use of the methods of historical study, philosophy, theology, and literary studies to assess state-of-the-art scientific research alongside well-established areas of debate.

Research supervision is offered by academic staff with interests in:

• physics, cosmology and faith

• reduction and emergence

• consciousness and the soul

• evolutionary biology, human uniqueness, and the 'image of God'

• the laws of nature and the idea of 'ultimate reality'

• science and the doctrine of creation

• miracles and science

• the Bible and science

• science and religion in literature and the arts

• ecology, ethics and theology

• Islam and science

• philosophy of science-engaged theology

• comparative science and religion

• science and natural theology

You can find out more and identify a potential supervisor by looking at the School’s staff profiles, which give details of research interests and publications, and email addresses.

We encourage you to contact a potential supervisor to discuss your research project before making a formal application.

At the School of Divinity you will join a community of around 150 research students, drawn from around the world, and from a variety of religious and non-religious backgrounds.

You will study in a stimulating environment. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 ranked the School first in Scotland and fifth in the UK for its research power in theology and religious studies. The majority of the research activity of our colleagues is classed as world-leading, reflecting the vibrancy of the School’s research culture.

See the University of Edinburgh website for detailed programme information.