The Queens Foundation Logo

Doing a PhD at Queen's

Share Icon

It is possible to study towards a PhD on a full-time, part-time and split-location basis.

  • Past and current PhDs
  • Supervision
  • PhD Trajectory
  • Training and support

Some completed research projects:

  • The impact made by the book of Esther on the New Testament and Early Christian Literature
  • Being Church in Longbridge: Practical Theology of Local Churches in a Post-Industrial Community
  • Overcoming Self-Negation: An Examination of the Relationship between Junkanoo and the Church in Contemporary Bahamian Society
  • Women's Chosen Practices of Silence
  • Towards an African Communitarian Humanism: Insights for Black Theology in Britain
  • The Experiences of Transgendered Christians and the Pastoral Response of the Churches
  • Themes of Education and Training in the Pastoral Epistles
  • The Transition from Home to University for Young Christian Women
  • A Comparative Study of Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter and their Use of the Old Testament and Jesus Traditions
  • Theology of Embrace in the context of Ethnic Conflict in Myanmar
  • John Hull’s Theological Pedagogy as Disruptive-Inclusion in Fresh perspective

Some current research projects:

  • A Black Theological Response to Poverty in Birmingham Outer Estates
  • Developing Critical Practice in Further Education Chaplaincy
  • Black Christian Men’s God Talk: Towards a Liberation Theology of Black Gay Experience
  • A Theological Analysis of Gender Discrimination among Korean Women Missionaries
  • An Investigation into the Problematic Relationship of Christians with a Muslim Background to Traditional Christian Communities in Britain
  • Reverse Mission? Multi-racial Mission and African-British Churches: A Case Study of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Birmingham
  • What are the Practical Ecclesiological Challenges Facing the British Christian Community as it engages with new converts from a South Asian Islamic background?
  • Ignatian Spirituality and the Flourishing of Faith in Young Women
  • Curatorial Practice as a Model to Support the Development of Hermeneutical Competence amongst Christian Congregations



At Queen’s we are committed to providing the highest level of supervision in partnership with our VU Amsterdam colleagues. Supervision takes place in teams of between 2 to 4 persons each of whom brings a variety of subject expertise and experience of research.

From our supervisory pool at Queen’s and VU Amsterdam we are able to offer supervision in

  • Biblical Studies
  • Contextual Theology – including Black and Pentecostal Theologies, Feminist and Gender Theologies, Interfaith studies, Congregational Studies and so on
  • Church/Liturgical studies
  • Missiology
  • Systematic Theology
  • Historical Theology
  • Patristics
  • Christian Spirituality

Please consult staff pages for further details about our research expertise.

Supervisions take place regularly throughout the year either in person or online, arranged at times and in ways to suit each student and team. Agreed records are kept with clear goals set at each supervision. Supervisors undertake regular training in order to enhance and develop their skills.

Students are admitted initially as Queen's Postgraduate Researchers (QPGR) for an intensive period of proposal development and training (about twelve months). If successful, students progress to become full VU students carrying out their research. Twelve to eighteen months later, a draft chapter is assessed by an independent panel. If successful, the student progresses to completion and submission. Maximum registration is 8 years with a possible further extension of two.

Each year there are annual PhD conferences both at Queen's and VU. Each student will have the opportunity to visit VU during their programme.

The public defence can take place in Amsterdam at VU or online at Queen's.

Each student agrees a Training and Supervision Plan at the start of their doctoral studies, designed to equip you with the necessary skills you will need for the demanding undertaking of doctoral research and its wider application.

A full programme of research seminars and training events is provided by Queen’s and VU. This gives opportunities for students and staff to hear and deliver papers on research in progress, and to engage in stimulating dialogue and debate across the range of research interests represented in the community. Students are expected to chair and respond to papers, as well as give at least one paper during their time here. From time to time, we host internationally renowned visiting scholars from beyond the Queen’s community.