About

Education | Academic Appointments | Awards and Grants | Acknowledgements

Education

Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, I began my academic career with studying in Australia for my Bachelor of Theology at Alphacrucis University College and a Master of Theology at Excelsia College (formerly Wesley Institute). I then moved to the U.K. to read for an MPhil in Theology (New Testament) at the University of Oxford, finishing a master’s thesis under the supervision of Prof. Markus Bockmuehl. From there, I journeyed north to Durham to study with Prof. Jane Heath, completing a dissertation on Paul the apostle and disability studies.

Are you a considering biblical studies programs in the UK? Feel free to get in touch, I’m happy to share my experience.

Academic Appointments

I began my teaching career in 2010 as an adjunct Worship Music trainer at Hillsong College and transitioned to a full-time role as Worship and Songwriting trainer from 2011-2015.

After I finished my PhD at Durham University, I taught as an adjunct Lecturer at Hillsong and in 2021 had the privilege of taking up my current position as Assistant Professor of Religious Studies (New Testament) at Crandall University in Moncton, New Brunswick. I also adjunct part-time at Acadia Divinity College.

Do you need someone to read a cover letter or take a look at your job application? I’m happy to help. Give me a shout here.

Awards, Honours, Grants, Fellowships

• 2021. Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship Finalist and Applicant for the Theology & Religion Department, the University of Oxford (£110,000 Grant, ca. $170,000 CAD). (Application withdrawn to take up current academic appointment)
• 2017–2020. The prestigious Durham Doctoral Studentship (DDS) covering both tuition fees and a generous stipend (in excess of £94,000 GBP, ca. $145,000 CAD). These awards are offered to international postgraduate researchers of exceptional ability with an outstanding academic record and research potential.
• 2019. Norman Richardson Postgraduate Research Grant (£800 GBP) that generously provided the opportunity to do some fieldwork in Naples, Pompeii, and Athens.
• 2017. Oxford Graduation Scholarship for the DPhil program (£25,000 GBP). (Declined)
• 2013. Award for Academic Excellence, Wesley Institute (Excelsia College)
• 2013. Research Degree Award, Wesley Institute (Excelsia College)

Do you need a second pair of eyes to look over your grant/fellow research proposal? Feel free to get in touch.

Paths Untaken

An oversimplified diagram of how I got where I am today.

Academic journeys are often filled with choices, a few wins, and lots of losses. Most of them end before they start. I was lucky to get into as many masters programs as I did and even luckier to get into the doctoral programs I applied for. When I went on to the job market in 2021, I was again very fortunate that I was a finalist in two job searches and a candidate for a prestigious ECR fellowship. I list the results of my job search here to be candid about my academic path and the relatively few times I’ve experienced rejection in this area. I am the exception and not the rule. I acknowledge that many of my colleagues have faced scores of rejections, especially on the academic job market and that my experience, unfortunately, is an outlier. I cannot change my circumstances, but I am trying hard to change the outcomes for my peers and colleagues.

Acknowledgements

No academic gets to where they are without a great cloud of witnesses who champion them. These are the giants on whose shoulders I stand and without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today. They are the people who have directly contributed to my career by writing recommendation letters, coaching me, giving advice, sharing networks, reading and giving critical feedback, and sharing resources. If I have forgotten someone please do let me know and I will add you to the list.