Our people

Stuart is Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine (pre-clinical)

Susan is Director of Studies in Natural Sciences (Physical Sciences)

After taking a BA(MA) in Zoology at Oxford University (under Richard Dawkins) and a PhD in bioengineering at Reading University, Andrew Jackson pursued a 30-year career in biotech R&D, working for a major blue-chip company and two of the Cambridge-based technology consultancies. He then joined the Faraday Institute as their Director for External Affairs before taking early retirement to fulfil a lifelong ambition to study academic theology.

He sat the University of Cambridge postgraduate Diploma and MPhil degree in theology (both awarded with distinction and the Divinity Faculty prize) followed by a PhD at the University of Nottingham resulting in a monograph published with Routledge, entitled ‘Maximus the Confessor and Evolutionary Biology: The Phylogenetic Logoi.’ Andrew recently returned to the Faraday Institute as Academic Lead for its Tutorial Programme in Science and Religion. His theological research interests include the theology of evolutionary biology, Eastern Patristics, and the theology of technology.

Dr Alexander Peattie is a Research Associate in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences focussing on the role that neuroinflammation and peripheral inflammation play in the progression of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and development of the related dementia (PDD). This work investigates relationships between neuropsychological differences, potential genetic risk factors, blood/CSF inflammatory markers, and PET/MRI neuropathological hallmarks alongside the potential anti-inflammatory treatments possibly employed to combat PD and PDD progression from a longitudinal perspective. This may have important implications for other neurodegenerative diseases and dementias.

Previously, Alexander doctoral work focussed on the neurocognitive sequalae of chronic Traumatic Brain Injury, whether certain treatments ameliorated symptoms, and how neuroimaging could be used to identify certain patients. Additionally, Alexander collaborated with others in investigating Disorders of Consciousness, neurofunctional correlates of anaesthesia, and effects of psychopharmacological modulators.

Having done his PhD at Eddies, Alexander says he is "thrilled I can continue to contribute to a community close to my heart."

Dr Harry Wardell is a Consultant in Emergency and Paediatric Emergency Medicine and Fellow with PaNDR (Paediatric critical care transport service, Cambridge University Hospitals). He joined the CGCM as Clinical Tutor at St Edmunds in June 2025.

His particular interests in medical education include social learning and how to adapt teaching strategies to high pressured and time poor environments such as the resuscitation room.

He holds a PGDipMedEd and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Maria Devlin McNair is a writer, researcher, and podcast producer whose credits include “Article 13,” “Ministry of Ideas," "Illuminations," "Genealogies of Modernity," and "Shakespeare For All." Her work draws on literature, philosophy, theology, and social science to explore what, together, these fields can teach us about how we lead flourishing lives.

A mother of 3, McNair holds a PhD in English Literature from Harvard University and lives in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

Isidoros (né Charalampos) Katsos is Assistant Professor of Theological Epistemology and Philosophy at the Divinity Faculty, National University of Athens. He holds a PhD in Human Rights, Ecology, and Cultural Heritage Law (Freie Universität Berlin, 2009); and a PhD in Philosophy and Theology (University of Cambridge, 2019), under the supervision of Rowan Williams. He has studied law in Athens, Paris and Berlin; and philosophy and theology in Athens and Cambridge. Previous appointments include a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Oxford; a Junior Research Fellowship at Campion Hall, Oxford; and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for the Study of Christianity, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Αuthor of The Metaphysics of Light in the Hexaemeral Literature: From Philo of Alexandria to Gregory of Nyssa (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023); and – as Charalampos Katsos – of Nachhaltiger Schutz des kulturellen Erbes: Zur ökologischen Dimension des Kulturgüterschutzes (Baden-Baden: Nomos ; Zürich: Dike ; Wien: Facultas, 2011). His teaching and research interests focus on ‘Christian Philosophy’, largely defined, and the intersection of theology, ecology, and human rights in the age of A.I.

Dr Tsougarakis has been Assistant Professor of European Medieval History at the University of Crete since 2022. Before joining the University of Crete, he was Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at Edge Hill University. His research focuses on the ecclesiastical history of the Venetian and Frankish states of Greece, especially in the period 1204 to 1500, with a particular focus on the Franciscans. He has also published on medieval pilgrimage, the crusades and heresy.

Latest publications
‘The Library and School of the Franciscans in Candia: A New Examination’, in The Friary of St Francis in Venetian Candia: Art, Learning and Sources, special issue of Frankokratia: A Journal for the Study of the Greek Lands under Latin Rule 6.2 (2025), 180-204
(With Donal Cooper), ‘The Fifteenth-Century Inventories of the Friary of St Francis, Candia: A New Edition and Commentary’, in The Friary of St Francis in Venetian Candia: Art, Learning and Sources, special issue of Frankokratia: A Journal for the Study of the Greek Lands under Latin Rule 6.2 (2025), 205-283

‘Art, Identity and the Franciscans in Crete’, in V. Foscolou και S. Kalopissi (eds), Intercultural Encounters in Medieval Greece after 1204 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2022), 113-30.
‘Sharing on the Way to the Holy Land: The Shrine of Our Lady of Cassiope on the Island of Corfu’, Al-Masāq 34 (2022), 162-71
‘Perceptions of the Greek Clergy and Rite in Late Medieval Pilgrimage Accounts to the Holy Land’, in N.G. Chrissis, A. Kolia-Dermitzaki and A. Papageorgiou (eds), Byzantium  and the West: Perception and Reality (11th-15th C.) (London: Routledge, 2019), 230-42

Thomas is a postdoctoral researcher in climate science with experience in remote sensing, in-situ observations and numerical modelling.

In April 2021, he moved to Cambridge to start a new role as a Polar Climate Scientist at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at the Scott Polar Research Institute.

He completed my DPhil with the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford in May 2021, prior to which he obtained an MSc in Applied Meteorology from the University of Reading.

His research as a climate scientist focuses on coastal Antarctica: a narrow zone where atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean interact strongly. The central aim of my work is to understand and reduce uncertainty in how Antarctic coastal processes will change in a warming climate, and what those changes mean for both Antarctica and the rest of the world.

Dr Dabrowska is an Assistant Research Professor at the Department of Veterinary Medicine. Working within the Biomineral Research Group, her research focuses on the detection of trace metals in blood and understanding the impact of nanoparticles on human health.

She joined the University of Cambridge in 2019 as a Research Associate, working across the Departments of Physics and Veterinary Medicine. During that time, she contributed to the development of novel methods for detecting bacteria, with a particular emphasis on applications in low-resource settings. This work led to her being awarded a runner-up Cambridge Award for Research Impact and Engagement in 2025.

Prior to moving to Cambridge, Dr Dabrowska worked at the University of Southampton, participated in a transatlantic research expedition and taught at the Marine Biological Laboratory in the USA. Her research spanned a diverse range of projects, from developing anti-biofilm treatments for patients with cystic fibrosis to evaluating the environmental impact of deep-sea mining.

Dr Dabrowska is a Wellbeing Advocate, an alumna of the Aurora Leadership Programme, and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

My research focuses on the effect of tumour necrosis factor in human kidney cancer using cellular, molecular, and imaging techniques. I am a Senior Clinical Scientist at Cambridge University. My findings have contributed to understanding of kidney cancer through publications.

Dr. Rafia is a Senior Clinical Scientist in the Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge. She holds a PhD in Cellular Pathology from Fitzwilliam College. She is a Fellow and Tutor at St Edmund’s College (2019). She has received prestigious awards, including the Oman-American Joint Commission Scholarship, the Leatherseller’s Award, a WHO fellowship, and the Cambridge Commonwealth/Overseas Trust bursary. Dr. Rafia developed a unique tissue organ culture model for studying kidney and heart tissue responses and established a novel model for isolating cancer stem cells from human kidney tissue, contributing to publications. She is actively involved in the Cambridge-Yale-AstraZeneca Research Programme, serves on editorial boards, and co-authored The TNF Superfamily. Dr. Rafia has consulted for companies like GlaxoSmithKline and Immutrin and is a fellow of several prestigious organisations.

Academic Profile

My research includes Veterinary Pathology, Oncology, hepatitis and pancreatitis in dogs and cats, infectious diseases in animals, and syringomyelia in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. I have supervised 15 undergraduate theses, 8 master theses, and 5 doctorate theses.

Fernando Constantino-Casas graduated with a Bachelor degree in Veterinary Medicine from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1985. He was awarded a PhD degree from the University of Cambridge, UK in 1991. Fernando was head of the Department of Pathology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FMVZ) in Mexico City from 2001 to 2006. He was appointed Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Pathology, University of Cambridge, UK in 2007 and as University Pathologist in the same institution in March 2014. Fernando is a member of the Mexican Society of Veterinary Pathologists and the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath), Specialist in Veterinary Pathology (small species) – Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Fernando is a Fellow Class A and tutor at St Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge, UK.

Publications

• Rad R, Strong A, Varela I, Kriegl L, Fraga MF, Calvanese V, Saur D, Price S, McDermott U, Eser S, Constantin-Casas F, Kirchner T, Yusa K, Grove C, Seidler B, Schmid RM. A genetic progression model of BrafV600E-induced intestinal tumourigenesis reveals targets for therapeutic intervention. Cancer Cell. 2013; 24, 1-15, July 8.
• Rad R, Rad L, Wang W, Strong A, Ponstingl H, Bronner IF, Mayho M, Steiger K, Weber J, Hieber M, Veltkamp C, Eser S, Geumann U, Ollinger R, Zukowska M, Barenboim M, Maresch R, Caldinanos J, Friedrich M, Varela I, Constantino-Casas F, Sarver A, Hoeve JT, Prosser H, et al. A conditional PiggyBac transposition system for genetic screening in mice identifies oncogenic networks in pancreatic cancer. Nature Genetics. 2015; 47:1; 47-56.
• Prevalence of pancreatic, hepatic and renal microscopic lesions in post-mortem samples from cavalier King Charles spaniels. J Small Anim Pract. 2016;57(4):188-193.
• Coddou MF, Constantino-Casas F, Scase T, Day MJ, Blacklaws, Watson PJ. Chronic inflammatory disease in the pancreas, kidney and salivary glands of English cocker spaniels and dogs of other breeds shows similar histological features to human IgG4-related disease. J Comp Pathol. 2020; 177:18-33.
• Nivy, Constantino-Casas et al. Copper-associated hepatitis in CKCS. Veterinary Record. 2023:e3651.

Awards & Recognitions

• Specialist in Veterinary Pathology (Small Domestic Animal), Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
• Associate Fellow (Associate Fellowship Higher Education Academy - AFHEA).

I research into interfaith relations, primarily between Jews, Christians and Muslims. Much of my academic work explores the significance of sharing sacred texts and narratives. I also work with local actors in the Middle East to agree measures to safeguard Jerusalem's holy places.

Dr Edward Kessler, MBE is Founder President of the Woolf Institute and a leading thinker in interfaith relations, primarily, Jewish-Christian-Muslim Relations.
He was described by The Times Higher Education Supplement as 'probably the most prolific interfaith figure in British academia' and was awarded an MBE for services to interfaith relations. He has written or edited 13 books, including An Introduction to Jewish-Christian Relations (Cambridge, 2010), Jews, Christians and Muslims in Encounter (SCM, 2013) and Jesus (The History Press, 2016). His Documentary History of Jewish-Christian Relations was published by Cambridge in 2024. In 2024 he was awarded the Seelisberg Prize for his contribution to fostering Jewish-Christian relations. He was Vice-Chair of the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life (2013-15), Principal Investigator of the Woolf Diversity Study, a study of diversity in England and Wales (2017-19), and Chair of the Commission on the Integration of Refugees (2022-25). In 2023 he was appointed Chair of the Advisory Board overseeing the unification of Reform and Liberal Judaism. Kessler regularly appears in the media commenting on religion and belief issues of the day, such as the impact of October 7th 2023 attacks on Israel and the Gaza War on the Leading Podcast, and hosted the weekly podcast Naked Reflections (2020-23).

He also presented the series, Covid-19 Chronicles (2020), on the impact of the coronavirus on religion and belief. He wrote and presented two A-Z podcasts (2018-20), An A-Z of Believing: From Atheism to Zealotry and An A-Z of the Holy Land: From Arab to Zion. Much of his academic work has been examining Scripture and exploring the significance of sharing a sacred text. In recent writings, he has focused on the encounter with Islam and contemporary relations between the three Abrahamic faiths. Kessler proposes positive approaches for managing difference, which he argues, is vital in forming a constructive identity as well as for sustaining communities, in the UK and Overseas. Since 2015, he has been working with local actors in Israel, Palestine and Jordan to agree measures to safeguard Jerusalem's holy places.Kessler also explores the tensions, positive as well as negative, between religion and civil society.

At a lecture at the Brookings Institution in 2014, he argued that diplomats and policymakers need to be better trained in religion and belief, describing the contemporary religious landscape as a 'post-interfaith' world. In 2019, at an annual lecture for the Council for Religious and Life Stance Communities in Oslo, he argued that because religious monopolies are in decline, belonging to a minority is the norm. In his 2024 address upon receiving the Seelisberg Prize, he called for a redoubling of efforts to pursue genuine dialogue at a time of increasing polarisation.

Academic Profile

Kristen MacAskill is an Associate Professor of Engineering, Environment and Sustainable Development in the Cambridge University Department of Engineering. She is a Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineering. Before returning to a role in academia, Kristen worked for several years as a consulting engineer in the water and transport sectors.

Her experience covers various areas of infrastructure development, including strategic-level options assessment, post-earthquake damage assessment, infrastructure design, project management, and sustainability assessment. Her research now focuses on systems analysis to advance approaches for managing risks and system resilience. Using cross-disciplinary research methods and examining information from different system levels (from international policy to local or even individual decision-making behaviours), she investigates governance issues in the management of critical infrastructure and the delivery of major projects.

Her research encompasses developing quantitative network models and, more unusually for an engineer, analysing qualitative data through stakeholder liaison techniques.