I’m a doctoral student in philosophical theology at the University of Oxford (Campion Hall). On this website I publish some of my (mostly non-academic) writing: preached sermons, scriptural reflections, poems and short theological and philosophical essays. On the page ‘Writings Elsewhere’ you can find some of my writing that is published elsewhere, including academic journals. 

Brief Academic Bio

I completed my first degree in theology while minoring in philosophy at the University of Helsinki. In 2021 I graduated with an MPhil. in Modern Theology from Oxford. While doing my MPhil. in Oxford I was an Ertegun Scholar for the Humanities. In 2021, I became a doctoral student at Oxford, funded by the Clarendon Scholarship and then by The Osk. Huttunen Foundation. 

I sometimes get asked if I’m a philosopher or a theologian. Unfortunately, I don’t really have a proper answer to this question, at least not if answering it would require choosing between the two; I’ve always moved quite freely between the worlds of philosophy and theology, bringing resources from one to the other whenever that seems fitting. Hence, my work tends to be quite inter-disciplinary in character. 

My doctoral research focuses on the problems of evil and suffering from both theological and philosophical perspectives, particularly in the epistemic, affective and moral issues surrounding theodical discourses. I’m especially interested in exploring the significance of aesthetic religious experience in relation to the theodicy/anti-theodicy debate. 

In addition to my doctoral research, I have two main research focuses. First, I’m interested in the intersection of aesthetics, moral formation and virtue ethics, especially as these pertain to perception. For example, I’m interested in the question how aesthetic and moral perception might be interconnected and how therefore formation in the first might also be formative for the latter. 

My second research focus is on feminist philosophy, desire, and asceticism. More specifically, I’m interested in how sexual ethics (especially the issue of consent) might intersect with desire and its formation and how we can bring theological resources – such as asceticism – to bear on modern questions about consent and human flourishing in context of sexual relationships. 

My other interests include pop culture, poetry, seemingly (and perhaps actually) absurd beliefs, and institutions.