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King’s People

Biography

Lydia Schumacher joined King’s in 2017 as Senior Research Fellow in Medieval Philosophy and Theology and Principal Investigator on a European Research Council Grant project titled, ‘Authority and Innovation in Early Franciscan Thought’ (c. 1220-45). Previously, she held a Chancellor’s Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh. From 2011-14, she held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship in the University of Oxford, Faculty of Theology and Religion.

She is a member of the Editorial Board for the International Journal of Philosophy and Theology as well as a member of several elite academic societies, such as the Young Academy of Europe and the Société internationale pour l’étude de la Philosophie Médiévale.

Research interests and PhD supervision

1. Medieval Theology and Philosophy, including:

  • Augustine and his reception
  • Anselm of Canterbury
  • Thomas Aquinas
  • Franciscan thought
  • 12th-13th century thought

2. Systematic and Philosophical theology, including:

  • Philosophy of religion
  • Analytic theology
  • Christian ethics
  • Virtue ethics, virtue epistemology
  • Philosophy (especially epistemology)

Current Research Projects

  • From 2017-2021, I will be overseeing a large research project funded by the European Research Council on ‘Authority and Innovation in Early Franciscan Thought (c. 1220-45). For further details, please see the project website: http://www.earlyfranciscans.com/staff

I am also co-investigator on The Love in Religion Project, organized by Prof Paul Fiddes, Oxford University: http://loveinreligion.org/

For more details, please see my full research profile.

Teaching

I have taught broadly in the fields of historical, systematic and philosophical theology at the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford.  I will provide supervision and some teaching in these areas at King’s.External engagement

Faith and religion in the contemporary context, i.e. the relevance and rationality of faith today; the medieval origins of modern thought and culture; English and Scottish contributions to medieval thought.