Dr. Augustine Pamplany is the Founder and overall Director of the Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies. There is also an Executive Director Dr Tigi Abraham who handles the day-to-day affairs of the Institute. Research Fellows and Academic Visitors are those who consult the Centre for researches in the interdisciplinary field of Science, Philosophy, Religion and Ethics. They also conduct researches at the Institute on behalf of the Institute for its various projects. Associates are involved with teaching the courses offered by the Institute and are in-charge of the particular projects run by the Institute.
MA Philosophy, MSG University, Bikaner
M.Ph, JDV, Pune
PhD, Gregorian University, Rome
MA Oxford University,
M.Phil Oxford University
Prof. Dr. Job Kozhamthadam obtained his Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science from University of Maryland, USA, in 1986, and his MS in Physics from M.Sc. in Physics from Patna University in 1972. He had been Professor of Philosophy of Science, Cosmology, and Science and Religion from 1986 to the Present at Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, and Visiting Professor of Philosophy of Science at Loyola University of Chicago in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994. He had been Teaching Assistant at University of Maryland, USA, from 1990 to 1996. He is an active Member of New York Academy of Sciences; The British Society for the Philosophy of Science and the International Society for Science & Religion, Cambridge University, UK. He is a former Member Indian National Commission for the History of Science, Indian National Science Academy (INSA). His book The Discovery of Kepler's Laws: The Interaction of Science, Philosophy and Religion was named Outstanding Academic Book of the Year 1994 by Choice Magazine. He is the founder Director of the Indian Institute of Science and Religion, New Delhi, the Association of Science, Society and Religion, Pune.
Dr. Binoy Pichalakkattu is a Jesuit of Kerala Province. He holds doctorates in Mathematical Sciences (India) and in Systematic Theology (USA). He is a member of Clavius group for Mathematicians, U.S.A. He has published books and numerous articles both in national and international journals, and presented papers on topics related to science, philosophy and religion. He is a visiting faculty in institutions in India and abroad. Currently he is the Director of Loyola Institute of Peace and International Relations (LIPI), Kochi, and the Managing Editor of Pax Lumina (bi-monthly in English: www.paxlumina.com) and EZHUTHU Magazine (monthly in vernacular: www.ezhuthu.org), published by LIPI. He is the Coordinator of Higher Education Commission of Kerala Jesuits and also the Coordinator of the Peace and Reconciliation Network of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia.
Dr Beena Jose is currently the principal of Vimala College, Thrissur and has been assistant professor in Chemistry since 2007. She obtained her Ph.D in Chemistry from Calicut University. She is a recipient of the International Visiting Research Scholar fellowship from Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Berkeley, California (2014) for research in “Recent Developments in the Chemistry of Life and “Science Playing God”: A Critical Study of the Theological and Ethical Aspects of Science’s Attempt to Synthesize Life. In 2017 she received the International Fellowship as Visiting Scholar in Science and Religion from Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford (SCIO) from Oxford University. In 2019, The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities offered Fellowship for the project entitled “Anglo-Indian Perspectives on Human Dignity in Health Care and Medical Research.” She has published several scholarly research articles in international journals.
Fr. Augustine Pamplany is the Founder-Director of the Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (iaiss.com) at Aluva and Research Dean of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies at Loyola College of Social Sciences, Trivandrum. Fr Pamplany holds MSc in Psychology (2003) from Madars University and MA in Biomedical Ethics (2006) from Katholieke Univerisiteit, Leuven, Belgium; Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; and the University of Padua, Italy; and Master of Philosophy from Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune (1995). He obtained PhD in the Ethics of Geoengineering from Dublin City University (2017). He was invited for special research on the “Cognitive and Neurological Aspects of Atheism,” at the Bodleian Library in Oxford University and at the Experimental Psychology Lab of the Coventry University, England. He also did the One-Year Certificate Programme of the Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts Mental Health Center Grand Rounds. He has authored and edited 9 books and has published several peer-reviewed articles in national and international journals. He is a member of the UNESCO Forum of Teachers in Bioethics. He is also the Academic Coordinator of the Masters and Doctoral Degree in Religion and Science under the Global Ministries University, California, and the regional coordinator of the MSc in Biomedical Ethics and Law under the International Chair in Bioethics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal. He is a recipient of the Erasmus Mundus Fellowship from the European Commission; Science-Religion International Course Award from the Centre for Theology and Natural Sciences, Berkeley; Global Perspectives on Science and Spirituality (GPSS) Fellowship from Elon University, USA. He is a priest member of the Little Flower Congregation (CST Fathers).
Prof. K. Babu Joseph is a Former Vice Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology. He had been Dean of research in Rajagiri College of Engineering and Technology. Winner of a number of fellowships and research programs from the government of India, he has published ten books and more than 50 technical science articles. He has presented several papers and given talks on various themes in science and religion including especially in the field of Quantum Physics and Theology. He was elected fellow of the Indian Institute of Science and Religion in the year 2003. He is a recipient of the International Science-Religion Course Award of the John Templeton Foundation.
Dr. Jackson James is currently a Scientist and Associate Dean, Academic Affairs & PhD Programs, Stem Cell Research Affairs & Animal Research Affairs at Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology. He obtained his Ph.D in Biotechnology in 1999 (Molecular Neurobiology), from Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin, Indi. He was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in 2003 at University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA and in 2000 in Molecular Medicine at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Kerala, India. He won the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, Dept. of Biotechnology, Govt. of India in 2016; DST Young Scientist Award (Fast Track Scheme) in 2004; Awarded Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Research Associateship in 2000. He is a member of the Society for Biotechnologists; India Indian Academy of Neuroscience; India Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) USA; Society for Neuroscience, USA.
Prof. Dr. K. L. Sebastian was Professor at the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, at the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (1996-2016) and Professor of chemistry at the department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry of Indian Institute of Technology, Palakkad (2016-2021). He had been Professor at Cochin University, from 1984 to 1996. He was Elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore (1994) and Elected Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi (2001). He won the S. S. Bhatnagar Prize in Chemical Sciences (1995).
Dr. K. S Radhakrishnan is a former Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, and the former Chairman of the Kerala Public Service Commission. A journalist and educationist, he has published more than 10 books and a number of articles in leading journals in vernacular and English. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Omega – Indian Journal of Science and Religion. Interfacing Science and Religion from the Indian perspective is a special area of interest and research for Dr. K.S. Radhakrishnan.
Dr Kuruvilla Pandikattu Joseph SJ (born 1957-) is Professor of Physics, Philosophy and Religion at Jnana Deepa ,Institute of Philosophy and Theology, Pune, India, since 1996. He has three Masters’ Degrees in Physics and Philosophy and two Doctorates in Philosophy and Theology to his credit. He has been actively involved in science-religion dialogue; transhumanism; viable human life-style and philosophical anthropology for more than 25 years, Author/Editor of more than 45 books and 210 academic articles, Pandikattu is a Jesuit priest belonging to Dumka-Raiganj Province, India. He has been involved in organizing more than 25 national and international conferences on science-religion dialogue. He has visited more than 15 countries and attended more than 100 conferences on Philosophy, Theology and Science-Religion Dialogue. He has been on the editorial board of five philosophical/religious journals. His main topics of research are: Anthropology, Eschatology and Transhumanism. He is the editor of two journals, Jnanadeepa: Pune Journal of Religious Studies and AUC: Asian Journal of Religious Studies and is in the editorial board of six journals. Currently he is on sabbatical at Jesuitenkolleg, Innsbruck, Austria.
Prof. Dr. T.V. Antony is specialized in physical organic chemistry, and had been professor of Biochemistry at St. Joseph’s College, Trichy, since 1963. He has guided nearly 10 Ph.D. dissertations and 50 M Phil. Papers and has also presented papers on science-religion dialogue in international conferences. He is presently guest faculty member at CUSAT. His special interest in science-religion dialogue has remarkably contributed to the multi-dimensional growth of Science-Religion dialogues in Kerala.
Prof. Dr. Shaju Thomas was the former Head, Division of Environmental Education and Conservation (EE&C), Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences(TIES) and Senior Writer Fellow Company at Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment(KSCSTE), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (2014-16). He had been Associate Professor and HoD, Postgraduate Dept. of Zoology, Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha (2009 –2014).
Dr. C.S. Paulose was the Head of the Department of Biotechnology and the Director of the Centre for Neuroscience in Cochin University of Science and Technology.
Dr. P. Basak was first Director of Amal Jyothi College of Engineering (AJCE), Kanjirappilly, Kerala and Ford Foundation Fellow, USA. As WHO National Consultant of the Ministry of Rural Development of the Govt. of India from 1994 to 1996, he won the National Award from President of India (January 26, 1972) for outstanding contributions in water resources and related studies.
As a popular science writer he had published over 10 books and campaigned for the paradigm-shift from materialism to spirituality.
Dr. Bert Gordijn
Institute of Ethics, Dublin City University, Ireland
Dr. Bincy Thomas
Alpha Institute of Theology and Science, Thalassery
Dr. Gerald Grudzen
President, Global Ministries University, California
Dr. Girijavallabhan
Emeritus Professor, International School of Photonics, CUSAT
Dr. Heup Young Kim
Kangam University, South Korea
Dr. Jean Staune
Interdisciplinary University, Paris
Dr. John Brooke,
University of Oxford
Dr. John Raymaker
Homburg, Germany
Dr. Joseph Mathew
Capuchin Vidyabhavan, Thellakom
Dr. Kamala Devi Kunkolienker
P.E.S’ R.S.N. College of Arts and Science, Goa
Dr. Kang Phee Seng
Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Dr. Kasturiranjan
National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore
Dr. Lieven Bouve
Catholic University, Louvain
Dr. Makarand Paranjpe
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Dr. Martin Sebastian
St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Aluva
Dr. Miguel Farias
Ian Ramsey Centre, Oxford University
Dr. Nancey Murphy
Fuller Theological Seminary, California
Dr. Nicolas Hoggard Creegan
Tyndale-Carey Graduate School, New Zealand
Dr. Noble Thomas
Foundation for Research in Education (FEDAR), Mananthavady
Dr. Pauline Rudd
Glycobiology Institute, Dublin
Dr. Philip Clayton
Claremont School of Theology, California
Dr. Philip Sloan
Notre Dame University, Indiana
Dr. Roger Trigg
University of Oxford
Dr. Salvin Paul
Central University, Sikkim
Dr. Shamsur Rahman
Bangladesh Centre for Science and Spirituality, Dhaka
Dr. Stephen Jayard
Jnana Deepa, Pune
Dr. Ted Peters
Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California
Dr. V.P.N. Namboothiri
Former Professor of Photonics in International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology
Dr. V.V Raman
Rochester Institute of Technology, New York
