Dr Henk Blezer is lecturer both at VU Amsterdam and Leiden University. His research covers Tibetan and also Indian history of ideas, notably Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Bön.
Prof. Dr Gijsbert van den Brink holds the University Research Chair for Theology & Science. His research is on the interface of religious faith and the (natural) sciences. He is Head of the Department of Beliefs & Practices.
Dr Victor van Bijlert is lecturer Religious Sciences and Sanskrit. His research is on ethical and theological aspects of modern Hinduism, and Hindu/Buddhist texts on epistemology, logic and soteriology. He coordinates the bachelor Hinduism.
Dr Yaser Ellethy is lecturer and director of the Centre for Islamic Theology Studies at the Faculty of Religion and Theology. He holds a PhD in Islamic Theology. He also holds a PhD in Philology.
Annemarie Foppen MA, MSc is a PhD-candidate on Religion and Leadership. She has completed both a master in Theology and religious studies and Organizational sciences. In 2018 Annemarie was one of the 3 nominees for Young Theologian of the Year.
Prof. Dr Ruard Ganzevoort is Dean of the faculty and Professor of Practical Theology. His main areas of interest are pastoral theology and psychology, psychology of religion, narrative approaches, trauma, and popular culture. He is a member of the Upper Chamber of the Dutch national parliament.
Jan Jorrit Hasselaar MA (coordinator) is economist and theologian. He finalizes his PhD ‘A hopeful response to climate change: Public theology and economics in interaction on radical uncertainty’. He chaired the working group 'Sustainable Development' of the Dutch Council of Churches.
Elisabeth IJmker MA (coordinator) has a background in public policy and international development. She currently works at VU Amsterdam at the Centre for Religion and Sustainable Development. She also serves on the Amsterdam city council as a local representative.
Miranda van Holland MA has completed both a Master's degree programme in Art history as well as Religious Studies with a focus on media and popular culture. She currently works as a valorization officer for the faculty and as the program manager for the new VU Amsterdam debate center, 3D. She is also involved in EARS, the European Academy on Religion and Society.
Prof. Dr Manuela Kalsky holds the Edward Schillebeeckx Chair for Theology and Society and is director of the Theological Research Centre of the Dutch Dominicans (DSTS) and in charge of the multimedia project New We (www.nieuwwij.nl) in the Netherlands.
Prof. Dr Azza Karam (academic director) is Secretary General of Religions for Peace, and Professor of Religion and Development at VU Amsterdam. She served as a Senior Advisor on Culture, at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); and as Coordinator/Chair of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Development. She taught at several universities and has worked for many years at various UN organizations at the intersection of culture, religion and development.
Dr Samuel Lee is lecturer in the theology of migration and the director for Center for Theology of Migration. Samuel Lee's interests are in the fields of religion and migration, especially the dynamics of how migration influences the religious landscapes within a society. He is also the president of Foundation Academy of Amsterdam.
Dr Annette Mosher is lecturer of Ethics and Senior Policy Advisor Internationalization. The focus of her research is on religion ethics, particularly deep green religious ethics, as well as ecofeminism and religious aesthetics.
Prof. Dr Peter-Ben Smit holds the Dom Helder Câmara Chair in Contextual Biblical Interpretation. As a New Testament scholar with expertise in the history of Christianity and ecumenical theology, his interest is in the relationship between biblical interpretation and context. He directs the Centre for Contextual Biblical Interpretation and is an expert in the field of gender.
Eva van Urk MA is a PhD candidate investigating theological perspectives on ecological responsibility. Her main focus is the concept of imago Dei (humans as being created in the image of God). She studied applied psychology as well as theology and religious studies. In 2017 she was Junior Fellow in Ethics of the Anthropocene.