School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies

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Irish School of Ecumenics,
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Trinity College Dublin

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Dr. Cathriona Russell

Dr. Cathriona Russell

Assistant Professor, School of Religion

Biography

After completing a BAgrSC (1988) and MAgrSC in Horticultural Science (1990), at University College Dublin, I worked in environmental monitoring, as a plant nursery operative, as a garden centre manager and later with a landscape team. Returning to full-time studies in 1996, supported by a TCD Foundation Scholarship I completed a BA in Religions in Theology. A PhD followed (2006) funded by a research grant from the then Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and a Broad Curriculum Studentship (teaching ethics to Medical Students at TCD). Alongside teaching at TCD, I was Director of the Masters in Ecology and Religion at All Hallows College, DCU for three years (2010-2013) and taught distance-learning students theology and ethics at the Priory Institute, Tallaght (2007-2010). I have been taking tour groups to the Chester Beatty Library for more than 20 years, having been first introduced to the collection's Biblical Papyri, among other treasures, through my studies at TCD.

Publications and Further Research Outputs

  • Russell, Cathriona, Hogan, Linda, Junker-Kenny, Maureen, Ethics for Graduate Researchers: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach, Oxford, Elsevier, 2012Book, 2012
  • Russell, Cathriona , Autonomy and Food Biotechnology in Theological Ethics , Oxford, PeterLang, 2009Book, 2009
  • Reconciliation between Blame and Lament in, editor(s)Heffelfinger, K. and McGlinchey, P. , Atonement as Gift: Re-Imagining the Cross for the Church and the World , Milton Keynes, Paternoster, 2014, pp24 - 30, [Russell, Cathriona]Book Chapter, 2014
  • Environmental Perspectives on the Genesis Flood Narrative in, Silverman, Jason (USA: Georgias Press, 2013). pp. 461-486 , Opening Heaven's Floodgates: The Genesis Flood Narrative, its Context and Reception, USA, Georgias Press, 2013, pp461 - 486, [ Russell, Cathriona]Book Chapter, 2013
  • Environmental Perspectives in Research Ethics in, editor(s)Russell, C. & Hogan, L & Junker-Kenny M. , Ethics for Graduate Researchers: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach, Oxford, Elsevier, 2012, pp209 - 226, [Russell, Cathriona]Book Chapter, 2012
  • "Demography, Poverty and Planetary Boundaries in Laudato Si" in, editor(s)McDonagh, Sean , Laudato Si': An Irish Response, Dublin, Veritas, 2017, pp173 - 196, [Russell, Cathriona ]Book Chapter, 2017
  • Russell, Cathriona, The 'Irish Elk' and the Concept of Contingency, Search: A Church of Ireland Journal Darwin Anniversary Issue, 2008, p169 - 177Journal Article, 2008
  • Russell, Cathriona, Faith and the Marvellous Progress of Science Realities are Greater than Ideas: Laudato Si' and the Sciences, Doctrine and Life, 65, 2015, p56 - 62Journal Article, 2015
  • Russell, Cathriona, Burden-Sharing in a Changing Climate: which principles and practices can theologians endorse, Studies in Christian Ethics, 24, 2011, p67 - 76Journal Article, 2011
  • Russell, Cathriona, Christian Ethics: a guide for the perplexed, Modern Believing, 56, (3), 2015, p343 - 344Review, 2015
  • Russell, Cathriona, A Theology of Love, Doctrine and Life, 60, (6), 2010Review, 2010
  • Russell, Cathriona, Selfish Genes and Christian Ethics, Search: A Church of Ireland Journal , 31, (3), 2008, p220 - 222Review, 2008
  • Russell, Cathriona, Patenting Life? Is corporate Greed forcing us to eat genetically modified food?, Administration, 52, (1), 2004, p108 - 110Review, 2004
  • Russell, Cathriona, Is there a Christian case for assisted dying?, Search: A Church of Ireland Journal , 32, (2), 2009, p148 - 150Review, 2009
  • Russell, Cathriona, The Moral Disciple: an introduction to Christian Ethics, Modern Believing, 56, (4), 2015Review, 2015
  • Cathriona Russell, Thermodynamics and Theology: Turn-of-the-century cosmologies, 1850-1920, Review of Entropic Creation:Religious Contexts of Thermodynamics and cosmology, by Krage, Helge , Approaching Religion, 7, (2), 2017, p66-68Review, 2017, URL
  • Russell, Cathriona, Environmental Ethics, Technology, and Nature-Romanticism, Green Foundation Ireland, Green Values, Religion and Secularism, Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, July 1st 2017, edited by Ahern, Nuala , 2017, pp7-9Conference Paper, 2017, URL
  • Cathriona Russell, Leaving no one behind: inequalities facing impoverished providers in marginalised economies affected by biodiversity loss and climate change, Sarajevo 2018: Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina , July 26th-29th, 2018Poster, 2018
  • Cathriona Russell, Creation: an invitation to share God's love, Search: A Church of Ireland Journal , (Summer), 2018, 91 - 99Journal Article, 2018
  • Russell, Cathriona, Care, Coercion and Dignity at the End of Life, Studies in Christian Ethics , 32, (1), 2018, p36 - 45Journal Article, 2018, URL
  • Integral Ecology: Autonomy, the Common Inheritance of the Earth and Creation Theology in, editor(s)Severine Deneulin and Clemens Sedmak , Integral Human Development: Catholic Social Teaching and the Capability Approach, Notre Dame, Notre Dame Press, 2023, pp170 - 186, [Russell, Cathriona]Book Chapter, 2023
  • Russell, Cathriona , Technology and Integral Ecology, New Blackfriars, February, 2022, p220 - 233Journal Article, 2022
  • Russell, Cathriona , Liturgy and Urban Ecology: Vital Connections, Doctrine & Life, 72, (7), 2022, p35 - 42Journal Article, 2022
  • Ethicists and clinicians: the case for collaboration in the teaching of medical ethics in, editor(s)McDonagh E, McNamara V , An Irish Reader in Modern Theology: The Legacy of the Last Fifty Years. Volume III: Medical and Bio Ethics, Dublin, Columba Press, 2013, pp25-30 , [Russell C, O'Neill D]Book Chapter, 2013, URL
  • Developing an ethics of competence, care and communication in, editor(s)McDonagh E, MacNamara V, , An Irish Reader in Modern Theology: The Legacy of the Last Fifty Years. Volume III: Medical and Bio Ethics, Dublin, Columba Press, 2013, pp31-34 , [Russell C, O'Neill D]Book Chapter, 2013, URL
  • Russell, Cathriona, Realities are Greater than Ideas: Laudato Si' and Environmental Ethics, Living Laudato Si' Society of African Missions Summer School, Dromantine, Co Down, June 2016, 2016Conference Paper
  • Russell, Cathriona, Burden-Sharing in a Changing Climate: which principles and practices can theologians endorse, Studies in Christian Ethics, Theological Reflections on Climate Change, Cambridge, September 2010, 2010Conference Paper
  • Russell, Cathriona, Creation, Capability and Care for our Common Home, Ecology, the Bible and Ethics, Trinity College Dublin, March, 2016, 2016Conference Paper
  • Russell, Cathriona, Approaches to Reading Laudato Si', Laudato Si': Presentation Sisters Ceist Seminar, Milltown Park, Dublin, September 2015, 2015Conference Paper
  • Russell, Cathriona, Urban Sustainability, Capability and Laudato Si', Capability and Catholic Social Teaching Colloquium, Ghent, Belgium, August, 2015, 2015Conference Paper
  • Russell, Cathriona, Autonomy, Stewardship and Subsidiarity as Ethical Criteria for Sustainability, Ethics in the World Church: In the Currents of History: From Trento to the Future, Trento, Italy, July 2010, 2010Conference Paper
  • Russell, Cathriona, An Anthropocentric Perspective in Christian Environmental Ethics-the Role of the Steward in Safeguarding Creation, International Symposium on Environment & Religion, Istanbul, Turkey, May 2008, 2008Conference Paper
  • Russell, Cathriona, The Common Inheritance of the Earth: an undertaking of mutuality, Elemental Bioethics: International Academy for Bioethical Enquiry, Maynooth, Ireland, July 14th-18th, 2019Conference Paper
  • Cathriona Russell, Creation, the common inheritance of the biosphere, and the commodification of the proximal sky, Creation, Transformation, Theology, Osnabrück University, Germany, 25-28 August, 2021Conference Paper
  • Cathriona Russell, Not having babies won't save the planet, Suas Magazine, IV, 2019, p17-18Journal Article, TARA - Full Text
  • Human Dignity and a Cosmology of Habitability in, editor(s)al-Akiti, Afifi and Power, Maria (eds) , Human Dignity across the Islamic and Christian Traditions, Oxford, 2025, [Russell Cathriona]Book Chapter

Research Expertise

Environmental ethics and hermeneutics, research ethics, biomedical ethics, development ethics, science and religion, cosmologies and creation theologies.

Food sciences, Agriculture, horticulture, forestry and fisheries, Other Humanities, Humanities and the arts, Earth and related environmental sciences, Philosophy, Ethics and Religion, Medical, health and life sciences, Other social sciences, Environmental management,

Recognition

  • Trinity College Postgraduate Grant 2000
  • Carson Biblical Prize 1997
  • Broad Curriculum Studentship, TCD (PG) 2003-06
  • Church Formularies Prize and Ryan Prize for Systematic Theology 1998
  • 1983 Prize in Biblical Greek 1997 & 1998
  • Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Scholarship 2000-3
  • Foundation Scholarship 1998
  • Bishop Forster's Divinity Premium, Theological 1998
  • Newport White Prize for Greek Texts 1997
  • Society for Study of Christian Ethics (UK) 2019
  • Theological Reference Group (Invited), Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) 2019
  • Treasurer Irish Theological Association 2013
  • St James's Hospital &Adelaide & Meath National Children's Hospital (Tallaght) Research Ethics Committee 2010
  • Chester Beatty Library Volunteer Tour-Guide Ongoing
  • Capability and Catholic Social Teaching Colloquium (Invited), Ongoing
  • Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church Network Ongoing