Todd Weir becomes the new academic director of NOSTER

From 1 February 2027, the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society will become the lead institution for NOSTER, the Netherlands School for Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion. Todd Weir has been appointed as the new scientific director of NOSTER. NOSTER is the leading platform for research and training in theology and religious studies, both in the Netherlands and in Flanders, with 12 different universities participating. “We at the University of Groningen are delighted to be the lead institution for this excellent research school in the coming years, with Todd as scientific director,” said Hanneke Muthert, Dean of RCS.

Prof. Todd Weir studied history in Berlin and obtained his PhD in New York. He moved to Groningen in 2016. “I am delighted to have been appointed as the new scientific director of NOSTER. My main motivation for accepting this position is the great value I place on excellent ReMa and PhD programmes and teaching. To thrive in a demanding environment, researchers need the kind of external networks and educational institutions that NOSTER offers, to complement individual supervision.”

I wish to promote and further develop the unique learning model offered by NOSTER’s courses. I also wish to play a strategic role in representing the interests of NOSTER’s scholars at a national level. I intend to reach out to key cultural institutions, such as museums, as well as government bodies and religious organisations, to establish partnerships. I also intend to continue the efforts of the current NOSTER board to collaborate at an international level with advanced educational networks in neighbouring countries. This suits me as an American who worked in Germany, the UK and the US before coming to the Netherlands.”

As lead partner, the University of Groningen aims to focus on strengthening broad cohesion, bringing together organisational and substantive ambitions. Muthert: “In times of the current challenges, it is even more important to join forces with various partners around the religious factor in culture and society.”