Prize Announcement (3 August 2026)
ESSSAT Prizes for Studies in Science and Theology 2026
The European Society for the Study of Science and Theology (ESSSAT) announces winners of the 2026 ESSSAT Prizes. ESSSAT is delighted to announce the winners of the 2026 ESSSAT Prizes, recognizing outstanding contributions to the dialogue between science and theology.
Research Prize Winner
The ESSSAT Research Prize 2026 has been awarded to Dr Timothy Middleton for his groundbreaking book, Witnessing a Wounded World. A Theology of Ecological Trauma, published by Fordham University Press in 2025. Middleton’s work reframes ecological collapse as a deep theological trauma. It rebuilds Christian doctrine around compassionate solidarity with a suffering planet rather than human dominion. The core call is to bear faithful witness to planetary grief, not to explain it away.
Student Prize Winner
The ESSSAT Student Research Prize 2026 has been awarded to Haanya Ijaz for her short essay: “Grounded Theory and Islamic Psychology: A Methodological Critique.” Ijaz critiques Rothman's Islamic psychology model for using constructivist grounded theory in a way that is methodologically incompatible with its normative goals. Due to narrow sampling and pre-set theological categories, the model imposes assumptions rather than generating emergent concepts, leaving it symbolically rich but clinically vague and untested. This reveals a foundational tension in the field between empirical rigour and theological commitment that must be resolved for genuine therapeutic applicability.
Both winners will be honoured at the upcoming European Conference on Science and Theology in Leeds (United Kingdom), where they will present their work to an audience of scholars, theologians, and scientists. The conference provides a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue, and it fosters collaboration between diverse fields of study.
ESSSAT congratulates Timothy Middleton and Haanya Ijaz on their remarkable achievements and contributions. Their work exemplifies the society's commitment to exploring the dynamic relationship between science and theology.
The ESSSAT Prize Officer:
Alberto Aguilera, 25
28015 Madrid
Spain