Material Culture and New Testament Interpretation: Numismatics, Papyrology, and Epigraphy as Interpretive Lenses

Established Supervisor: Michael Theophilos <mitheophilos@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Leonela Fundic

Project Area
This project investigates how ancient material culture can generate new interpretations of New Testament texts. Focusing on numismatics, papyrology, and epigraphy, the student will examine how coins, documentary papyri, and inscriptions illuminate the language, social world, political environment, religious practices, and cultural assumptions of early Christianity. Rather than treating material evidence merely as historical background, the project will explore its potential to function as an interpretive lens for specific New Testament passages. The precise corpus and texts will be negotiated with the student, with the aim of producing historically grounded and methodologically rigorous new readings of selected biblical texts.

Description of the research internship opportunity
The student will have the opportunity to participate in an established research environment focused on New Testament interpretation, ancient languages, and material culture. Internship activities may include identifying relevant coins, papyri, and inscriptions; working with major digital corpora and museum collections; translating and analysing Greek and Latin primary sources; preparing research datasets and annotated bibliographies; and contributing material to ongoing research projects, publications, seminars, or public-facing research resources. These activities will develop practical skills in primary-source analysis, research design, digital research methods, scholarly collaboration, and project management, providing direct preparation for future HDR candidature.

The Frankfurt School: Philosophical and Theological Dimensions

Established Supervisor: Dr. James Dorahy <James.Dorahy@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr. Leah McGarrity

Project Area
The Frankfurt School of critical theory represents one of the most influential, and contentious, traditions to have emerged in the 20th Century. In recent years scholarly attention has started to come to terms with the theological vocabulary within which early critical theory is often framed. The proposed project will contribute to this bourgeoning discourse by elucidating and critically evaluating the use of theological concepts and motifs within the works of leading Frankfurt School thinkers, such as Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Walter Benjamin, and Herbert Marcuse. In pursuing this line of research, the project will be situated at the cutting-edge of contemporary research in the fields of social and political philosophy and the philosophy of religion.

Description of the research internship opportunity
Successful applicants will have access to numerous research opportunities relevant to the candidature. The Faculty of Theology and Philosophy supports a German-language reading group, within which graduate students have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of German for academic reading by working on primary texts of theological and philosophical significance within a collegial and constructive environment. In addition, the National School of Philosophy holds a bi-weekly seminar series in which HDR candidates present and discuss their work with peers and faculty. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to participate within this research community, as both speaker and respondent.

Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence: How Does ChatGPT Help us Understand the Human Mind?

Established Supervisor:  Margot Strohminger <Margot.Strohminger@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Atheer Al-Khalfa

Project Area
In recent years, interest has surged in how artificial intelligence affects our understanding of mind and consciousness. A central question is whether large language models (LLMs) have minds and, if so, what kinds of mental states—thoughts, knowledge, feelings—they might possess. Many assume LLMs lack minds, yet this view is surprisingly hard to defend. Others grant LLMs minds but then face the challenge of what this means for the human mind. This project invites students to develop research in philosophy of AI, exploring how such technology informs traditional questions in philosophy of mind and epistemology.

Description of the research internship opportunity
The student will have the opportunity to participate in the reading group "Theories of Mind, Knowledge and AI" at the ACU School of Philosophy, attend national and international research seminars (online or in person) on related topics, and present at HDR seminars.

Art-Engaged Philosophy, Theology, or Religious Education

Established Supervisor:  Dr Lexi Eikelboom <Lexi.Eikelboom@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Ben DeSpain

Project Area
Students in Philosophy, Theology, or Religious Education are invited to submit applications for Honours projects that consider questions about life or existence through engagement with the arts. Projects may focus on issues of knowledge, politics, embodiment, doctrine, or learning through engagement with any artistic form, such as painting, sculpture, music, performance, or literature. Examples of such projects include: metaphors of seeing in literature; feminist depictions of the body in painting; learning practices through engagement with religious iconography; or political iconography in the 21st century.

Description of the research internship opportunity
Students will have opportunities to participate in specialized research training through seminars, reading groups, and the refining of their presentation skills. They will also be able to take part in the development of research projects being conducted by colleagues in Australia, Chile, and the US, which will expand their network, expose them to different artistic and academic perspectives, and strengthen their academic engagement and skills.

Historiographies of the Roman East

Established Supervisor: Dr Gareth Wearne <Gareth.Wearne@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Elisabeth Slingsby

Project Area
The eastern mediterranean was a region of rich cultural contact and innovation. This included the intermingling of literary and historiographical traditions that shaped the written sources from which the history of the region is reconstructed. Prospective students from classics, ancient history, or related fields are invited to submit applications for topics related to any aspect of the historiographies that describe or were produced during Rome’s expansion of empire into the eastern Mediterranean in the period ca.200 BCE–ca.200 CE. We particularly invite candidates with an interest in representations of non-elites or narratives intended for moral instruction.

Description of the research internship opportunity
Students will have opportunities to participate in research seminars and specialised research training, in reading groups, language groups (where relevant), and methods training alongside HDR and other students. Students will also have the opportunity to develop a spoken (conference-style) presentation based on their research, which they will have the option to present at the end of the project.

Nostra Aetate, Interreligious Learning and Catholic Religious Education: Where are we After 60 Years?

Established Supervisor: Dr Emmanuel Nathan <Emmanuel.Nathan@acu.edu.au>
Emerging Supervisor: Dr Gavin Brown

Project Area
This project will bring together a supervisor in interreligious learning (Jewish- Christian encounters specifically) and one in Catholic Religious Education. It will be an opportunity to study the changes made since the Second Vatican Council to address the Church’s renewed relationship with Judaism and the Jewish people. It will also probe remaining areas where further improvement can be made and intends to develop a list of recommendations Catholic education offices and RE curricula.

Description of the research internship opportunity
Two possible internships:
 1) with the Australian Council of Christians and Jews in developing an online resource in the area studied; and
2) in the Nostra Aetate Working Group, which is a collaboration between Sydney Catholic Schools, Sydney Catholic Archdiocese, the Sydney Jewish Community and ACU