| Job Title | Research Associate (Grant Projects Development) |
| leidenhagm@queens.ac.uk |
I joined Queen’s in 2024 as a Research Associate (Grant Projects Development) to support the activities of The Centre for Research and Global Partnerships. I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Religion (Uppsala University), and have held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Edinburgh (2017-2019) and Queen’s University Belfast (2019-2020). In 2020, I joined the University of St Andrews to set up the St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. I am still an Academic Editor with the Encyclopaedia and have worked towards developing its engagement with the sciences.
My research interests centre on the relationship between theology and science, and I have published articles on religious naturalism, transhumanism, and whether evolution allows for teleology and purpose.
Qualifications
| PRINCE2 Certificate in Project Management | 2022 | Axelos |
| MA Public Policy and Management | 2022 | University of York |
| PhD Philosophy of Religion | 2016 | Uppsala University |
| MA Theology | 2011 | Uppsala University |
| BA Philosophy of Religion and Sociology of Religion (Double Major) | 2009 | Uppsala University |
External roles and responsibilities
I am currently an Academic Editor with the St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, and the Co-Editor-in-Chief of AGATHEOS: European Journal for Philosophy of Religion. Outside of academia, I am the Director of the Digital Inclusion Research Hub and a Research Consultant with the African Health Organisation.
Research interests and supervision
My PhD thesis focused on Religious Naturalism, an emerging worldview and movement which considers the natural world to be spiritually and religiously significant. Since then, I have published articles on transhumanism and to what extent evolution may be consistent with a theological view of the natural order as purposeful.
Publications
Books
- Conjunctive Explanations in Science and Religion. Co-editor with Diarmid Finnegan, David Glass, and David Livingstone. Routledge Science and Religion Series.
- Naturalizing God? A Critical Evaluation of Religious Naturalism. SUNY PRESS (State University of New York Press).
Articles
- “Mind and Purpose in Nature: A Reply to Donald Crosby”. American Journal of Theology and Philosophy (forthcoming).
- “Can there be an Apophatic Science-Engaged Theology?” Theology and Science (forthcoming).
- “Considering the Place of Apophaticism within Science-Engaged Theology”. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science (forthcoming; book symposium).
- “Christianity and Religious Naturalism.” St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. Edited by Brendan N. Wolfe et al. https://www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/ReligiousNaturalism
- “Conjunctive Explanations in Science and Religion: An Introduction”. With Diarmid Finnegan, David Glass, and David Livingstone. In Conjunctive Explanations in Science and Religion. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, pp. 1-10. (Routledge science and religion series)
- “Grounding individuality in illusion: a philosophical exploration of Advaita Vedānta in light of contemporary panpsychism”. The European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 13: 1-26.
- “The Doctrine of Theosis and the Reality of Purpose: Exploring the Convergence between Deification and Organismic Teleology”. Toronto Journal of Theology 37: 198-209.
- “Theology and Organismic Teleology: Purpose for and within Creation”. Modern Theology 37: 396-409.
- “Saved Through Technology: Exploring the Historical Roots and Soteriological Dimension of Transhumanism”. Religion Compass (Unassigned).
- “Framing Christian Eschatology through Natural Teleology? Theological Possibilities and Concerns”. Heythrop Journal (Published online. Not assigned to issue).
- “Can Naturalism Make Room for Teleology: The Case of Thomas Nagel and Donald Crosby”. American Journal of Theology and Philosophy 40: 5-19.
- “Religious Naturalism: The Current Debate”. Philosophy Compass 13: 8.
- “The Mysterianism of Owen Flanagan’s Normative Mind Science”. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 53: 29-48.
- “The Unsuitability of Emergence Theory for Pentecostal Theology: A Response to Bradnick and McCall”. With Joanna Leidenhag. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 53: 258-273. This was an invited response to defend our previous 2015 article.
- “Christian Materialism and the Quest for Human Personhood”. Perichoresis – The Theological Journal of Emanuel University 15: 83-100.
- “From Emergence to Panpsychism – A Critical Evaluation of Nancey Murphy’s Non-reductive Physicalism”. Sophia – International Journal for Philosophy and Traditions 55: 381-394.
- “Science and Spirit: A Critical Examination of Amos Yong’s Pneumatological Theology of Emergence”. With Joanna Leidenhag. Open Theology 1: 425-435.
- “Is Panentheism Naturalistic? How Panentheistic conceptions of Divine Action Imply Dualism”. Forum Philosophicum: International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 19: 209-225.
- “The Relevance of Emergence Theory in the Science-Religion Dialogue”. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 48: 966-983.
