sustain:if:able kiwi

Cross-training and research capacity

I’ve been privileged to spend the last two weeks at the University of Birmingham, participating in the Psychology Cross-training Fellowship Programme for Theologians. The fields of psychology and theology have multiple points of shared interest. These include what it means to be human and relate to the world around us. Yet often the worlds of psychology and theology talk past one another. Hence the Cross-training Fellowship, funded by John Templeton Foundation.

The Fellowship runs for 16 months and is structured to include

• an initial two week intensive
• monthly online training
• a contestable grant to undertake new research
• a mid-point one week workshop
• a final gathering to share research

The two week intensive has involved training in research methods, introduction to current developments in social psychology and workshopping a research project in psychologically engaged theology. It’s been full on, 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.

Some highlights for me include:

• some really helpful professional development, particularly around research empirical methods and open-science. I use plenty of empirical methods in my work with AngelWings Ltd, as we use different research methods to serve the church. So it was superb to have 3 days listening to current best practice
• space and support in thinking about a research project, supported by a small grant. The support included space to present a possible project, followed by feedback both shared and immediate, and individual in the days following. Having a concrete research project possibility helped to focus attention and provide inspiration
• plenty of formal and informal opportunities to build connections with others interested in interdisciplinary research. These include the other 18 fellows. It also includes networking with theologians and psychology academics. I suspect that connection-making will deepen and interweave even more over the next 16 months and beyond
• the greenery of English summers and the long evenings, in particular the Winterbourne Gardens.

It’s been a rich, intense and engaging experience, for which I’m very grateful to the organisors and funders. I am looking forward over the next few weeks and months to experiencing how the doing of a small research project can further build capacity around interdisciplinary research. That begins with an grant application process. But first, the long trek back to Aotearoa beckons.