Science and Religion

Putting together cutting-edge science and ancient wisdom to investigate the big questions.

The relationship between science and religion is an area of perennial public interest and vigorous academic debate. It draws in some of the greatest questions of human inquiry, bringing ancient traditions together with today’s latest experimental discoveries.
The University of Notre Dame Australia is a leading Australian centre for science-religion research. Our researchers specialise in several science-religion areas: history of science and religion, theology and evolution, religion and technology, cognitive science and religion, and the sociology of science-religion. We host externally-funded grants in a number of these areas.

Meet our people

Professor Peter Harrison
Professorial Research Fellow in Science and Religion

Dr Victoria Lorrimar
Senior Research Fellow

Professor Stephen Bullivant
Professorial Research Fellow in Theology and Sociology

Associate Professor Nathan Lyons
Associate Professor in Philosophy

Externally Funded Projects

• Self-enhancement, ‘Biohacking’ and Spiritual Yearning. John Templeton Foundation. Chief Investigators: Stephen Bullivant and Victoria Lorrimar. 2024-26. $370,000 AUD. News piece here.
• Awe-some spirituality: A theological and psychological exploration of awe underlying spiritual yearning of the nonreligious. John Templeton Foundation. Chief Investigators: Valerie van Mulukom (Coventry), Victoria Lorrimar (UNDA), Mari Ovsepyan-van Emmerik (Cambridge). 2024-26. $435,000 AUD Coventry / $90,000 UNDA.
• Imagination and Religious Belief: A Theological and Psychological Engagement. John Templeton Foundation. UNDA Chief Investigator: Victoria Lorrimar. 2023-25. $1.2m AUD University of St Thomas / $110,000 UNDA.
• Nature-Culture Continuities in Medieval Philosophy and Theology. Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA). Chief Investigator: Nathan Lyons. 2023-27. $433,408 AUD.
• Explaining Atheism: The Causal Origins Of Individual And Societal Non-Belief. John Templeton Foundation. UNDA Chief Investigator: Stephen Bullivant. 2022-24. $5.5m AUD Queens University Belfast / $40,000 UNDA.
• Biocultural Evolution and Theological Anthropology. John Templeton Foundation. Chief Investigators: Michael Burdett (Nottingham), Nathan Lyons (UNDA), Megan Loumagne-Ulishney (Gannon), Victoria Lorrimar (UNDA). 2022-24. $297,000 AUD.
• Religion and Astrobiology in Culture and Society. International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society. Chief Investigator: Stephen Bullivant. 2021-23. $28,900 AUD St Mary’s University Twickenham.

Books

Read books published by our researchers in science-religion studies.