Ethics

Althea is passionate about finding ways to gather data to answer key questions we have about the Universe. She has worked with the world’s largest radio telescope and was part of a space mission which worked out what the sky looked like at the very beginning of the universe. She became a Christian after studying science for many years and now she also loves helping people to think about different types of big questions like “Why are we here?” and “How might astrophysics shape how we see ourselves?”

You can listen to her talking more about her science and her faith, in this 27-minute interview.

Andrew loves science and theology (the study of God and religion) so much he got a PhD in both! His studies started in the sciences before he moved into theology, and he now works with both, together!

Andrew enjoys thinking and teaching about the sorts of questions where theology, science and philosophy meet – questions like what discovering life elsewhere in the universe would mean for Christians.

Bill grew up learning about God and science. His love for science really took off at school, when he was ‘wow-ed’ by the diversity of life he could see in a single drop of water (using a microscope). At university he studied physics, and he also took religion and philosophy classes. Out of all these different ways of understanding the world, he felt particularly excited about learning about the brain, which he felt held so many secrets about how we experience life. This led to him running a neuroscience lab exploring how our brains help us see, and make decisions.

As a Christian, he loves helping people understand how scientific knowledge like this can be a gift which we can explore alongside ideas about meaning and purpose from religious faith.

You can read more about his story, here, about neuroscience and his faith, here, or listen to him speak about his life and work through a range of short videos, each of which is less than 3 minutes long.

Bob studies how volcanoes work and likes to visit them when they are erupting! He looks at the Earth’s crust and how volcanic rock is produced, and, because of his research work, he was even awarded a gold medal from the Royal Astronomical Society. Bob also spends his time helping people think about the responsibility he believes God has given us to look after the planet he made. Bob fully believes that science and religion have important roles to play – he helped set up The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion.

You can explore more about volcanoes on our ‘volcano explosion’ activity page, here.

Francis led the Human Genome Project which showed us the first full sequence of human DNA (the chemical instructions inside us which help our bodies grow and function in a special, unique way). Francis is the former Director of the National Institutes of Health. He has worked closely with several US Presidents and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science.

During his medical training he was faced with some pretty big questions about what he believed about the world. These questions led him on a journey to becoming a Christian, and starting the BioLogos Foundation, which helps people think about how science and Christian faith go together.

In 2020, Francis received the very highly regarded Templeton Award which honours people who “harness the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it”. The award recognises and values the way Francis uses his scientific leadership and communication to show how religious faith can inspire really good science, and to encourage religious communities to celebrate the gift of science.

You can hear him talk about how he views science and faith in this 2-minute video, or listen to him speak about his journey at the intersection of science and faith in this 3 minute video, or this 7 minute video.

Gillian studied the physics of Australian storm cloud systems and loves science, which she says is one of the wonderful ways we can study God’s world. She also studied theology (the study of God and religion) and is fascinated by how science and faith both inform the way we think about life. Gillian has had times in her life when she has been ill, and she uses this experience to help her lead a health and faith charity, and she loves helping people to think about how science, faith and health connect together.

Explore her story and work via her website, https://linktr.ee/gillianstraine.

Hannah has been a Christian for most of their life and feels this faith is deeply tied to their love for science and exploring the Universe they believe God created. There is a particular part of that Universe Hannah feels passionate about exploring… Mars! In 2013 Hannah joined the list of 100 people signed up for a one-way mission to start a human colony on Mars.

While this mission (Mars One) is officially over, Hannah is still excited by the ideas and conversations which come up when we think about space travel and humans on Mars. As well as the science, Hannah is interested in the questions that missions like this raise which go beyond science – questions about how we create ‘good’ communities, how we think about caring for the planets we come into contact with (Earth or Mars), and what ‘taking religion into space’ might look like.

As part of an answer explaining their motivations for applying to Mars One, Hannah wrote:

“… Finally, as a Christian, I have a deep love for all creation. Mars is as much God’s work as Earth is, and I know that my faith gives me a deep respect for it, as well as a firm emotional grounding for a life-long dedication.”*

You can read more about Hannah, and their ideas about Mars colonisation, in a 2015 article, here.

When they are not thinking about moving to Mars, Hannah works as an X-ray astronomer, studying some of the hottest, brightest, and most mysterious things in the Universe – black holes, neutron stars, and supernova explosions.

*Quote source: In Search of a Martian Faith (2018) An article by Hannah Earnshaw, published by The Mars Society.

John spent many years researching, and teaching others about, genes and DNA (the chemical instructions inside us which help our bodies grow and function in a special, unique way).

His work in science led him to think, and teach about, ethics (thinking about what is right and what is wrong) in science, medicine and in our relationship with the natural world.

John loves to help people think about how all the things we can learn from science and the Bible can help people explore and understand ourselves and the world around us.

You can explore more about John’s ideas about science and faith through a range of short videos, each of which is less than 3 minutes long.

Whilst she was at University, Julia felt that she wanted to explore how her science and her Christian faith could work together. Since they both stimulated her curiosity, she brought them together in her own personal life. She also began to think about how different elements of faith and spirituality can help scientists, healthcare providers and patients.

Julia’s faith motivates her to try and help others, and this is something she lives out in her medical and scientific career.  She researches the most common type of liver disease globally. This disease involves abnormal fat storage which relates to how the body uses energy. Julia considers it a huge privilege to partner with patients – listening to them, answering their questions to empower them in their own health and changing the way science and technology are used to care for people.

Julia’s work means that she witnesses great suffering and perseveres through challenges; she tries to help people as they experience suffering themselves. This can be very difficult, particularly when recognition and earlier intervention could prevent it. She finds that her Christian faith, the Bible, prayer, worship through music and a community that fosters resilience and meaning are powerful tools which help her endure and maintain hope.  She has found that these supports not only helps her to cope with the challenges of working in science, academic medicine and healthcare, but inspires her pursuit of truth and justice in tackling the wider challenges to human flourishing.

You can hear more from Julia in this article, as she chats about cake and coping during the 2020 covid lockdown, in this article about living out her faith in her approach to work, or in this video filmed at a Christian conference in the USA.

Margaret grew up loving the natural world and loving God, although, for quite a while, she thought about them separately. She now loves to think about how her desire to care for the natural world is motivated by her faith, and how this ‘creation care’ is actually an important part of what she believes God has asked us to do on Earth.

When exploring the oceans as a SCUBA diver, Margaret was drawn to the beauty of coral, and felt a strong desire to protect them from the many threats they face. She now studies the coral life cycle, and works to create tools and technologies which will help – like raising coral babies in labs and protecting them until they are ready to go into the ocean.

Because coral reefs are facing a real risk of extinction, Margaret’s work can feel hard, emotionally. She is encouraged to keep going because she believes God has asked us to take care of the world, and the poor, who will suffer most if the environment suffers. Margaret loves to help people who believe in God see the difference they can make by looking after the world they believe he has created.

You can explore the type of work Margaret does, here, and hear her talk about her science and faith through a range of short videos – most of which are under 3 minutes long.

Mercy grew up and studied in Kenya, before getting her PhD in biology in the USA. She is now working in Kenya, where she explores how diseases start and spread in baboon troops. She is passionate about helping to keep wildlife healthy, and learning lessons to help keep humans healthy, especially where humans and wildlife share a habitat.

Mercy feels that her Christian faith gives her the patience to continue her research year after year, working to better understand, and protect, the world she believes God made.

You can read more about Mercy and her work on her website, or in this article, here.

Praveen’s journey through University led to him becoming a Christian and a scientist. By exploring how the world works at a very small scale (in cells and DNA), he is led to think about very big questions – and he is convinced that we need both science and faith to dig deeply into these questions. In fact, he thinks God invites us to discover, and enjoy, new things about the world. This is why he loves the tools of science!

You can read more about his story, here.

Roger studies big events like earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes and pandemics, and how people respond to them when they impact their lives. He has talked to people recovering from catastrophic events in Haiti, New Orleans, the Philippines and here in the UK – listening to stories of fear, anger, hope and trust. His Christian faith drives him to want to help people who are suffering, and his faith and research work help him to think about how we can prevent these events from becoming disasters in the future.

You can read more about Roger’s work, here. Younger readers (aged 7 and upwards) can find his thoughts about the question ‘If God is really in control why are there so many natural disasters?’ in the book: “101 Big Questions about Science and God“.

Roger uses science to explore how people’s minds work and how the things that we think can make us better people. He asks questions like, ‘Does being thankful make us happier?’; ‘How can we make wise choices?’ and ‘Are humble leaders better leaders?’. Roger enjoys exploring how these parts of who we are relate to the ideas we have about God, faith and religion.

Meet Roger as he answers 20 questions about his work and life in 4 minutes, here!

Sigourney grew up going to church, but it was actually her time at university, studying science, which drew her closer to God and a relationship with Jesus.

Sigourney studied biomedical sciences (exploring how the human body works, to help care for ill people). Many people around her questioned how someone could be a Christian and a scientist. This was challenging for her because no one had ever spoken to her about how science and faith weren’t opposite. Once leaving university and going on to do her PhD, some of these conversations made her think more deeply about science, religious faith, and different types of evidence, and led her to realise that it is OK to question these things. By exploring her questions, she found herself becoming more sure that God is there, and that she could treasure the Bible while also doing science – she didn’t have to choose.

Sigourney originally thought she wanted to become a doctor but a brilliant lecture about nerves and the brain, and an experience looking down the microscope, led to her passion for research. Her PhD and research work since then have focused on studying children’s cancer, particularly in the brain, in the hope that she can reduce the number of children who suffer because of the disease.

When Sigourney first started her PhD, she hadn’t met a single black woman with a PhD. This realisation encouraged her to connect with other black scientists working in cancer, and to co-found an organisation called ‘Black in Cancer’ to highlight their work – providing inspiration, support and resources to help other young black people visualise a place for themselves in the sciences. Through ‘Black in Cancer’ she also reaches out to black communities, spreading awareness about cancer and helping people face important healthcare decisions.

Throughout her scientific work, Sigourney has increasingly felt that it is not only just ‘OK’ for a Christian to do science, but that uncovering the great detail involved in making life happen can actually enhance her faith in the God she believes made it all, and help her to better care for people as she believes God wants her to do.

You can find out more about Sigourney’s work and passions through the ‘Black in Cancer’ website, this BBC article, or by listening to her talk with Kunal Nayyar (actor in the series: Big Bang Theory), here.