Professor Mark Harris

As a physicist working in a theological environment, I am interested in the complex relationship between science and religion. I am known, along with Steve Bramwell from University College London, as the discoverer of "spin ice," a major research area in the physics of magnetism. Since our original discovery in 1997, more than 6,000 journal articles had been published on the topic by the end of 2018. However, after this breakthrough, I also began exploring theology and broadened my interests beyond magnetism. Following my ordination as an Anglican priest and roles in university chaplaincy at Oxford and cathedral ministry in Edinburgh, I now combine my academic interests in physics and theology by leading the Science and Religion programme at Edinburgh University, offering MSc and PhD degrees. My research interests focus on the relationship between the physical sciences, especially physics, and theology, and the impact of science on modern views of the Bible, particularly regarding miracles and divine action. Currently, I am working on a book project about naturalism, the philosophical basis of the natural sciences, and how historical debates on naturalism in earth science offer a fresh perspective on miracles.