The Science as a Contemplative Activity Research Hub is a pioneering initiative that seeks to uncover how contemplative traditions have historically shaped scientific thought, and how contemporary scientific practice can benefit from a deep immersion in contemplation. This initiative brings together historians of ideas, practicing natural scientists, and theologians in a structured yet dynamic dialogue on how science can be conceived and practised as a contemplative activity. 

For millennia, science has served to enhance human spiritual flourishing. By granting us greater knowledge and understanding of nature, science transfigures not only our vision of nature but also who we are as human beings, thereby enabling us to cultivate lives in harmony with nature. Today, we live in a time when global challenges critically demand our society to develop and utilise wisely the gift of science for the benefit of human flourishing. But how do scientists cultivate this wisdom? How do scientists and those working with science become sages who desire scientific knowledge, and the technological possibilities this knowledge open up, for building a world of truth, beauty, and goodness?  

The central hypothesis underlying this project is that what we need is a new natural philosophy that can open up a contemplative dimension in our attention to nature within our scientific culture. Only when humans begin to activate and deepen a contemplative gaze on nature, will we be on the path to grow wiser in how we make use of scientific knowledge and the technological possibilities it enables. 

• Revitalising the Theoretical Foundations: Investigating historical traditions that have framed scientific activity as a contemplative endeavour, tracing their development across different intellectual traditions. 

• Training Scientists in Contemplative Practices: Offering structured programmes to introduce scientists to contemplative methodologies that may enhance their research and intellectual engagement. 

• Building an Interdisciplinary Network: Connecting scholars and institutions committed to rethinking the relationship between science and contemplation. 

At this stage, the Hub operates as an academic network, coordinating seminars and discussions with selected scholars across different disciplines. So far, our efforts have primarily focused on establishing the theoretical basis for the notion of science as a contemplative activity in ancient Christianity: 

A series of closed academic seminars exploring several key figures and themes in ancient Christian philosophies and theologies of nature.

 Michaelmas Term 2024 

• 22 Oct 2024:  Eugenia Torrance, Postdoctoral Fellow & Teaching Scholar, Reilly Center for Science, Technology & Values, University of Notre Dame, USA. “Spiritual Contemplation in Maximus the Confessor and the Shape of Scientific Inquiry” 
• 12 November 2024: Giulio Maspero, Full Professor of Systematic Theology and Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Rome, Italy. “Gödel and the Cappadocians: Apophaticism and Incompleteness” 

Lent Term 2025   

• 14 January 2025: Robert Marsland III, Ph.D candidate, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Rome, Italy. “Natural Contemplation in Maximus the Confessor: An Introduction to Patristic Philosophy of Nature” 
• 28 January 2025: Marilu de Lourdes Bosoms Hernandez, Ph.D candidate, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, U.K. “Physiologia as theologia: Knowledge of Nature as Knowledge of God in John Scotus Eriugena” 
• 4 March 2025: Sea Yun (Pius) Joung, Ph.D candidate, Faculty of Divinity and Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholar, Clare College, University of Cambridge, U.K. “The Maximian Inversion of pothos: Reworking the Modern Yearning for God?” 
• 18 March 2025: Frederick Simmons, Research Associate, Faculty of Divinity and Leverhulme Center for Life inthe Universe, University of Cambridge, U.K.  “Augustine’s Theology of Nature and the Dilemmas of Human Distinctiveness” 

Easter Term 2025 

• 29 April 2025: Matthew Fell, Ph.D candidate, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, U.K. “The Reach of Wisdom: The Promise of an Augustinian Philosophy of Nature” 
• 13 May 2025: Oskari Juurikala, Assistant Professor of Fundamental Theology, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Rome, Italy. “Title tbc” 
• 17 June 2025 Doru Costache, Associate Professor of Theology at the Sydney College of Divinity, Australia. “Title tbc” 

Book launch

• 11 November 2024: Looking East for a New Theology of Evolutionary Biology  Launch of Andrew P. Jackson, Maximus the Confessor and Evolutionary Biology: The Phylogenetic Logoi (Routledge, 2024) 

Preparation for upcoming academic publications

In the near future, the Hub aims to expand its engagement with the wider academic community, making key insights publicly available while maintaining a rigorous research focus. 

This initiative is made possible through the generous support of: 

• Fetzer Institute 

• Pontifical University of the Holy Cross 

• Institutional Flourishing Lab at the Catholic University of America 

• Copenhagen Center for Science and Faith 

Core Staff

Dr Pui Him Ip  – Director of the Research Hub 

Dr Andrew Jackson  – Associate Researcher and Coordinator of the Research Hub  

We are also in collaboration with leading scholars and research institutions who contribute to the Hub’s activities and strategic vision.

Dr Pui Him Ip

Dr Andrew Jackson

We envision the Hub evolving into a major centre for interdisciplinary research, fostering: 

• A growing body of research outputs, including an edited volume and a book project. 

• New funding opportunities to sustain and expand our initiatives. 

• Public engagement through curated events and open-access resources. 

For researchers, institutions, and potential donors interested in contributing to or learning more about this initiative, please stay connected as we build this vision together. 

Email to: enquiries@faraday.cam.ac.uk