Despoina is our Senior Administrative Officer who coordinates our team’s efforts.
Despoina Tsimprikidou
With a background in international and European Studies and MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulations from London School of Economics, Despoina has experience of working in the European Committee of the Regions and in the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Currently, she manages the day-to-day operation of the Institute, and provides support to our postgraduate students and research teams.
Dean for the Faculty of Humanities and Performing Arts
Dr Jeremy Smith
Jeremy has taught on various aspects of British and European History since the late Eighteenth Century, specialising in the history of Anglo-Irish-Northern Irish relations, terrorism and counter-terrorism, peacebuilding, peace-making and reconciliation. Amongst his publications are Making the Peace in Ireland, 1886-1998 (Pearson, 2002); Britain and Ireland: From Home Rule to Independence for Longman in their Seminar Studies series; The Tories and Ireland: Conservative Party Politics and Home Rule, 1910-1914 (Irish Academic Press, 2000).
Thomas is a Lecturer in Chinese Studies and the Director of the Confucius Institute.
Associate Professor Thomas Jansen
Thomas is the Director of the Confucius Institute at UWTSD and a Lecturer in Chinese Studies. He is also the Programme Director of the BA in Chinese Studies. His teaching interests are in the field of pre-modern Chinese history and culture, in particular the Six Dynasties period and Chinese religions. Among his publications are Globalization and the Making of Religious Modernity in China: Transnational Religions, Local Agents, and the Study of Religion, 1800-Present (Brill, 2014); “Sectarian Responses to Foreign Presence in China in the Nineteenth Century: The Wanbao baojuan 萬寳寶卷 (1858) and other examples.” In: Globalization and the Making of Religious Modernity in China: Transnational Religions, Local Agents, and the Study of Religion, 1800-Present (Brill, 2014); “Sacred Text.” In: The Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions (Oxford University Press, 2012).
Bettina is a Professor in Study of Religions and Anthropology of Religion.
Professor Bettina Schmidt
Bettina teaches the study of religions and anthropology of religion on undergraduate and postgraduate level including on the MRes Religious Experience. She also supervises research students and welcomes inquiries in areas such as anthropology of religion, non-ordinary (religious/spiritual) experience, vernacular religions, and critical study of religions. Her background is in Cultural Anthropology with a special focus on the anthropology of religion. Her teaching focus is on theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religions as well as various aspects of contemporary religions. Among her most recent publications is ‘The Entanglement of Spirituality, Wellbeing and ‘Spiritual Economy’ in Brazil: The Shift from ‘Living well together’ to ‘Leading a good life’’. In: New Spiritualities and the Culture of Well-being (Springer, 2022).
Luci is a Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology.
Dr Luci Attala
Luci is the Programme Director for Undergraduate and Postgraduate studies in the Anthropology Faculty. She is also the Director of the UNESCO BRIDGES UK Hub at UWTSD. Her research focuses on materialities with specific attention afforded to water. Luci teaches on several postgraduate courses, including People’s Worlds Lives and Livelihoods, and Interactions with the Environment Making Things, Transforming Things. She sits on Oxford University’s Educere Network. In 2015, Luci received the Green Gown Award for her inspirational contribution to sustainable education. Amongst Luci’s books is How Water Makes Us Human (University of Wales Press, 2019)
Lina is a Lecturer in Global Justice Studies; peace processes, and conflict resolution.
Dr Lina Malagon
Lina is a Lecturer at undergraduate and postgraduate level on global citizenship and global justice. She is also a Research fellow in the Empowering-Youth-led collective healing project at the GHfP Institute. Her research interests are Global Justice, Peacebuilding, Gender, Transitional Justice, Human and Labour Rights, Environmental Rights, International Organisations and Development and Migration. Among her publications are ‘The Belfast Good Friday Agreement and transformative change: promise, power and solidarity’ (Israel Law Review & Cambridge University Press, 2023); ‘Are Economic, social and cultural rights side-lined in Peace Agreements? Insights from Peace Agreements Databases’ (Gonzaga Jounral of International Law, 2022); “Transitional Justice, Peacemaking/ Peacebuilding” (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022).
Director of Academic Discipline Psychology; psychology of discrimination, genocide.
Associate Professor Paul Hutchings
Paul is an experimental social psychologist whose primary areas of research interest are in the fields of social psychology, social cognition, and political science. His PhD included the development of novel computer-based methodologies for exploring how humans express and recognise emotions and other forms of non-verbal communication, exploring how facial recognition encoding and processing influences the recognition of in-group and out-group members, and whether individual differences in attitude influence encoding type and recognition of faces. Recently Dr Hutchings led a content analysis of the way in which Welsh media portrayed information about the proposed changes to the organ donation legislation in Wales. This work, funded by the Welsh Government, resulted in a published government report. Paul is currently Chair of the Welsh Branch of the British Psychological Society.
Rebekah is a Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Environmentalism.
Dr Rebekah Humphries
Rebekah is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Ethics and Environmentalism. She teaches undergraduate courses on sustainability research methods, phenomenology and existentialism, environmental ethics. She also teaches postgraduate course on environmental philosophy, philosophical methods and approaches and social and political philosophy. Her research interests are in normative and applied ethics (especially environmental ethics, animal ethics, and bioethics). Among her publications are ‘Moral Feelings, Compartmentalisation and Desensitisation in the Practice of Animal Experimentation’ (Springer, 2021); ‘Philosophy, ecology and elephant equality’ (Interdisciplinary Journal on Animal Feeling, 2020); ‘Suffering, Sentientism, and Sustainability: An Analysis of a Non-Anthropocentric Moral Framework for Climate Ethics’ (Palgrave,2020).
Carolyne is a Senior Lecturer in Education: digital pedagogies and leadership.
Dr Carolyne Obonyo
Carolyne is an educator who is passionate about technology integration into teaching and learning to develop lifelong, digitally skilled learners. She has had the pleasure and privilege of teaching at the high school level as well as the tertiary level. She is currently a Lecturer in Education and Research at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Angus is Senior Lecturer in Theology & Interfaith Studies.
Dr Angus Slater
Angus’ teaching is focused on aspects of inter-religious dialogue, particularly at higher levels. I also teach aspects of Christian Theology, particularly contemporary contextual approaches such as queer theology, as well as contributing to a number of study skills and introductory modules across Theology, Religious Studies, and Church History. His recent publications include: A Radical Orthodoxy in a Pluralistic World: Desire, Beauty and the Divine (Routledge, 2017); and “Challenging the Legitimacy of Extremist Narratives through Pedagogy” in Education and Extremisms: Rethinking Liberal Pedagogies in the Contemporary World (Routledge, 2017).
Caroline is Programme Manager for MA Equity and Diversity in Society and MA Harmony and Sustainability, Theory and Practice.
Associate Professor Caroline Lohman-Hancock
Caroline’s research focuses on sociology, education, sustainability and inclusion. She is PhD Supervisor and PhD Internal Examiner. She has published widely, including articles, chapters and other texts. Amongst her papers is “Reflections upon Education for Sustainability: Supporting Students’ knowledge, Understanding and Practice”, in Campion, N. The Harmony Debates: Exploring a Practical philosophy for a Sustainable Future (The Sophia Press, 2020); and “Local Implementation of National Policy: Social Justice Perspectives from the USA, India, and Wales” in a book entitled Cultures of Social Justice Leadership: An Intercultural Context of Schools (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020).
Nick is a Principal Lecturer and Associate Professor in Cosmology and Culture; Harmony and culture.
Associate Professor Nicholas Campion
Director of the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, the only academic Centre in the world to deal with cultural relationships with the sky and the cosmos. Nick is responsible for taking forward the Centre’s research and teaching activities, through supervising PhD students, sponsoring research projects, organising conferences and other events, and publishing research via the peer-reviewed journal Culture and Cosmos, and the Sophia Centre Press. Nick’s research interests include: exploring how worldviews and cosmologies are constructed, the history of astrology, cultural astronomy, space exploration, ethics and myth utopianism, contemporary politics and international relations. Among Nick’s publications is The New Age in the Modern West: Counter-Culture, Utopia and Prophecy from the late Eighteenth Century to the Present Day (Bloomsbury, 2015).
Professor Kenneth Gergen
Prof Kenneth Gergen is internationally known for his contributions to social construction theory, technology and cultural change, the self, and relational practices. His major writings include Realities and Relationships: Soundings in Social Construction (Harvard University Press), The Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life (Basic Books), and Relational Being: Beyond Self and Community (Oxford University Press). Gergen is a major figure in the development of social constructionist theory and its applications to practices of social change. He also lectures widely on contemporary issues in cultural life, including the self, technology, postmodernism, the civil society, organizational change, developments in psychotherapy, educational practices, aging, and political conflict. Gergen has published over 300 articles in journals, magazines and books. Gergen lectures throughout the world and has received numerous awards for his work, including honorary degrees in both the U.S. and Europe.
Professor David Cadman
Professor Cadman’s work is centred upon teachings of love and compassion, wholeness and connectivity, including exploring principles of harmony in education, food & farming, well-being, business and economy. Formerly Chairman of The Prince’s Foundation and a Trustee of the Prince’s School of traditional Arts, David is Harmony Adviser to The Prince’s Foundation based at Dumfries House in Scotland. Amongst David’s books are Love & The Divine Feminine (Panacea Books, 2020) and three edited volumes on The Speeches & Articles of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (University of Wales Press, 2014, 2018)