Professor Celia Deane-Drummond

Senior Research Fellow in Theology and Director, Laudato Si’ Research Institute

About

Celia Deane-Drummond began her academic career in the natural sciences, focusing on plant physiology and agricultural botany, particularly the biochemistry of nitrogen nutrition in plants and the biophysics of ion transport across plant cell membranes using novel tracers. The global and ethical challenges of the use of GMOs encouraged her to retrain in theology, education, and environmental ethics.

As Director she leads the multidisciplinary research work of the Institute, develops and fosters its collaborative partnerships and projects, including those with the church and other allied organisations. She is also responsible for LSRI's strategic plan for growth and promotes its education and outreach work nationally and internationally.

Celia was Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame from 2011 to 2019 (together with teaching responsibilities in the College of Science), and before this was Professor of Theology and the Biosciences at the University of Chester from 2000-2011. Celia was also Honorary Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University from 2012-2024.

For academic or teaching requests, please contact Celia at celia.deane-drummond@theology.ox.ac.uk

For requests related to her role as LSRI Director, please contact Celia at celia.deane-drummond@campion.ox.ac.uk

Research Interests

Her main research interests are in theological and ethical engagement with the natural and social sciences on questions related to ecology, genetics, animal studies and anthropology. She was Chair of the European Forum for the Study of Religion and Environment from 2011-2018 and is currently Vice President of the Science and Religion Forum of Great Britain. She also serves as a trustee of the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR). Celia was also visiting Professor in Theology and Science at the Centre for Catholic Studies, Durham University from 2012-2024.

Selected Publications

The Wisdom of the Liminal: Human Nature, Evolution and Other Animals (2014)

Technofutures, Nature and the Sacred, ed. with Sigurd Bergmann and Bronislaw Szerszynski (2015)

Ecology in Jürgen Moltmann’s Theology, 2nd edition, (2016)

Religion in the Anthropocene, edited with Sigurd Bergmann and Markus Vogt (2017)

Theology and Ecology Across the Disciplines: On Care for Our Common Home, edited with Rebecca Artinian Kaiser (2018)

The Evolution of Wisdom Volume 1: Theological Ethics Through a Multispecies Lens (2019), Shadow Sophia: Evolution of Wisdom Volume 2 (2021).