Faraday Institute for Science and Religion


The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion is an interdisciplinary academic research institute based in Cambridge, England.
It was established in 2006 by a $2,000,000 grant from the John Templeton Foundation to carry out academic research, to foster understanding of the interaction between science and religion, and to engage public understanding in both these subject areas. The Institute also leads debate on wider issues such as sustainability and education.

Senior staff

The Institute's Director is Robert White, the Associate Director is Keith Fox, and its Course Director is Hugh Rollinson. The Emeritus Director is Denis Alexander.

Activities

The Institute organises a wide range of activities, including:
  1. Free, regular lectures and seminars on a range of science and religion topics.
  2. Providing access to resources such as downloadable audio and video recordings of over 350 Faraday Institute courses, lectures and seminars. The website also includes a wide range of written material, and an online shop featuring heavily discounted books.
  3. Short, intensive weekend, and midweek courses. These are open to graduates or undergraduates from any university in the world, of any faith or none. Discounts and bursaries are available to students and those from low-income countries. Some courses give an overview of the science-religion debate, while others focus on a specific topic.
  4. Residential and day conferences which focus on a particular aspect of the interaction between science and religion.
  5. Informing and improving the media's understanding of the interaction between science and religion.
Activities of the Faraday Institute have included:
In his former capacity as Director and now as Emeritus Director of the Institute, Denis Alexander has commented on science and religion in UK national media and international media.
The Institute has published 20 Faraday Papers discussing various science and faith issues, which are available online in 12 different languages. Its website hosts recordings of more than 350 lectures. Most of these lectures can also be found on the University of Cambridge . Its work, along with that of other similar organizations, has led to a "complete reassessment of historical literature on the relationship between science and religion."