Second CePOZiR
Conference – 2027
Zagreb, September 13-17, 2027
Joint Welcome Address by the President of the Scientific and Program Board, the President of the Organizing Board, and the Head of the Center
Dear Colleagues,
It is our pleasure to welcome you to the upcoming Second CePOZiR Conference – 2027, which will take place in Zagreb, Croatia, from 13-17 September 2027. The conference, organized by the Center for the Study of the Relationship between Science and Religion (CePOZiR) of the Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Zagreb, continues its established series of interdisciplinary meetings.
Building on the success of the First CePOZiR Conference – 2025, this upcoming gathering will continue to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on the relationships between science, religion, and society. Its theme, Revisiting Humanity: Animals, Machines, or Children of God? Science, Philosophy, and Theology in Dialogue focuses on how understandings of humanity have developed and may continue to evolve in response to scientific, technological, and societal developments.
The programme will include an opening lecture, keynote addresses, and invited and honorary talks by distinguished international scholars, as well as presentations by participating researchers. These contributions will be organized within the conference’s established thematic sections: The Relationship between Science and Religion, Religion and Society, and Science and Society.
We look forward to welcoming you to Zagreb and wish you a stimulating and fruitful conference experience.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Emeritus Hrvoj Vančík, FRSC
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science
President of the Scientific and Program Board of the Second CePOZiR Conference – 2027
Dr. Ana Grgić
Institute of Philosophy (Zagreb)
President of the Organizing Board of the Second CePOZiR Conference – 2027
Dr. Petar Tomev Mitrikeski, Assistant Professor of Genetics
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Head of CePOZiR
- Download Invitation Letter
- Download Conference Flyer (kindly feel free to disseminate it widely)
Welcome Address by the Head of the Center at the Opening Ceremony
Patronage and Support
Honorary President of the Conference
The Reverend Dr. Rodney D. Holder
The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Conference Spokesperson
Ante Belić, mag. phil.
Secretary of CePOZiR
For conference information: ante.belic@ffrz.unizg.hr
• Note for media representatives: We kindly ask media representatives to inform the Conference Spokesperson in advance of their planned activities at the Conference and to make the necessary arrangements accordingly.
• Note for commercial exhibitors: We kindly ask potential exhibitors (e.g., book publishers, professional associations, etc.) to inform the Conference Spokesperson in advance of their intended participation in the Conference and to obtain information regarding the exhibition conditions.
Important Dates
REGISTRATION (!)
Speakers
OPENING LECTURE
• Professor Marco Bersanelli
University of Milan, Physics Department, Italy
Lecture title: The Cosmic Dimension of Being Human
Abstract
DISTINGUISHED KEYNOTE LECTURERS (in alphabetical order)
• Associate Professor Emily Burdett
University of Nottingham, Faculty of Science, School of Psychology, United Kingdom
Lecture title: The Early Development of Religious Belief and Spirituality: Evidence from Global Studies in Child Developmental Research
Conference Section: Science and Society
Abstract
• Dr. Efthymios Nicolaidis (Ευθύμιος Νικολαΐδης), Research Director Emeritus
National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute for Historical Research, Greece
Lecture title:
Conference Section: The Relationship between Science and Religion
Abstract
• Associate Professor Kinga Zeller
Protestant Theological University, Netherlands
Lecture title: Can Children of God Love Themselves? Self-Love and Self-Acceptance in a Competitive Society
Conference Section: Religion and Society
Abstract
HONORARY LECTURES
Lecture under the Patronage of the Center
Lecture under the auspices of the Head of the Center
Lecture under the auspices of the Honorary President of the Conference
• Professor Celia Deane-Drummond
Associate Fellow, Faculty of Theology and Religion
Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Laudato Si’ Research Institute (LSRI), Campion Hall, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Lecture title: The Evolution of Wisdom and the Transcendent
Abstract
Lecture under the auspices of the President of the Scientific and Program Board
• Professor Stefanos Zafeiriou
Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Lecture title:
Abstract
Lecture under the Auspices of the President of the Organizing Board
INVITED SPEAKERS (in alphabetical order)
- • Reverend Professor Paolo Benanti, TOR
LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy
Lecture title: Challenges and Potentiality in AI: An Ethical Approach
Conference Section: The Relationship between Science and Religion
Abstract:
- • The Reverend Dr. Lucas J. Mix
Project Manager and Co-Director of the Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (ECLAS) Project
St John’s College, Durham, United Kingdom
Lecture title: Decoupling Physical and Spiritual Ascent Narratives in Astrobiology
Conference Section: Religion and Society
Abstract:
- • Dr. Alexei Nesteruk
Emeritus Senior Lecturer in Mathematics and Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics
University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Lecture title: The Wounded Gift: The Hard Problem of Consciousness as a Tension between idia thelemata and Finitude of Embodiment
Conference Section: The Relationship between Science and Religion
Abstract:
- • Dr. Stoyan Tanev (Стоян Танев)
Carleton University, Sprott School of Business, Canada
Lecture title:
Conference Section: Science and Society
Abstract:
- • Dr. Aku Visala
University of Helsinki, Finland
Lecture title:
Conference Section: Religion and Society
Abstract: