Clockwise from top left: Nam, Reynolds, Wright, Tumminio Hansen, Soulen, Calvillo, Alonso
As the Candler community prepares for the arrival of a new semester, several Candler faculty members have received noteworthy accolades for their research, publications, and scholarship.
- Professor of Hebrew Bible Roger Nam was honored with the Inclusive Excellence Award for a faculty member (from the humanities) at Emory’s Laney Graduate School’s third annual Dean’s Awards Reception on April 16.
- Assistant Professor of Catholic Studies Susan Reynolds’ book, People Get Ready: Rituals, Solidarity, and Lived Ecclesiology in Catholic Roxbury (Fordham UP, 2023) won the College Theology Society’s 2024 Best Book Award at its Seventieth Annual Convention in Denver. Reynolds also recently won the New Scholar Essay Prize for Catholic Studies in the Americas, awarded by the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University.
- Professor of Hebrew Bible Jacob Wright, was awarded the 2023 Dortmund Gambrinus Fellowship, enabling renowned international scientists to conduct research stays at Germany’s TU Dortmund University. The fellowship aims to foster collaboration in research and teaching, while also exposing students to top international scholars. As part of this award, Wright delivered the third TU Dortmund University Lecture in Jewish Studies and Politics on May 27, titled “Nations, Nationalisms, and the Jewish Bible.” He also taught a weeklong seminar on the making of the Hebrew Bible.
Additionally, four Candler faculty members will pursue research sabbaticals during the 2024-2025 academic year with the support of grants or fellowships.
- Aquinas Associate Professor of Theology and Culture Antonio Alonso was also awarded a Calvin Institute for Christian Worship Teacher-Scholar grant. Alonso’s research aims to spark deeper conversations about the significance of the materiality of lived Christian practice through theological reflection on the reception of Vatican II liturgical reforms in Asian, Latine, and Black Catholic contexts.
- Assistant Professor of Latinx Communities Jonathan Calvillo, has been named a Calvin Institute for Christian Worship Teacher-Scholar. With this grant, Calvillo will explore the potential of hip-hop as a resource for fostering spiritual community among the Latinx diaspora. His project aims to demonstrate how hip-hop can be integrated into ministry with youth, addressing experiences of race, social engagement, and spiritual support.
- Bishop Mack B. and Rose Stokes Professor of Systematic Theology Kendall Soulen has been awarded a research fellowship at the College of William & Mary. Soulen’s current research focuses on the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed’s adoption and the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate, two milestones that represent pivotal moments in the Church’s relationship with the Jewish community, from deepened hostility to healing and theological renewal.
- Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Spiritual Care Danielle Tumminio Hansen has been awarded Emory’s Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry Presidential Fellowship. Tumminio Hansen’s research project focuses on epistemic injustice, a form of injustice that impacts individuals in their capacity as knowers. She will specifically investigate how epistemic injustice relates to abortion, examining the dynamics of power in discourse surrounding the topic. Her work aims to understand whose speech holds authority in discussions about abortion and whose voices are marginalized, thereby shedding light on the broader implications of how people communicate about this contentious issue.