Directors:
Professor David Fergusson and Dr Ximian Simeon Xu are the founding Co-Directors of the Cambridge Centre for Chinese Theology.
Professor David Fergusson
David Fergusson studied philosophy and theology in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Oxford. He took up his current post in April 2021, having been Professor of Systematic Theology in the University of Aberdeen (1990–2000) and Professor of Divinity in the University of Edinburgh (2000–2021). He serves as Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland and Dean of the Order of the Thistle. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2004) and a Fellow of the British Academy (2013).
You can visit his complete profile here.
Dr Ximian Simeon Xu
Ximian Xu (徐西面; preferred name: Simeon) is originally from Wenzhou, China, a city referred to as “China’s Jerusalem” by the BBC. He completed Master of Divinity (First Class Honours) at the School of Divinity, the University of Edinburgh, in 2013, followed by Master of Theology in History (Distinction) in 2017 and PhD in systematic theology in 2020 at the same School. His doctoral thesis explored the Dutch Neo-Calvinist theologian Herman Bavinck’s idea of theology as the science of God and constructively articulated how this theological idea can help demonstrate the due place of theology in contemporary universities. In 2021, Simeon joined the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity and Edinburgh Futures Institute as Kenneth and Isabel Morrison Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Theology and Ethics of AI, followed by Duncan Forrester Fellow in the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities/Centre for Theology and Public Issues (2024). Having lived in Edinburgh for about 12 years, Simeon joined the Faculty of Divinity as Senior Research Associate in January 2025. He also serves as Co-Director (with Prof. David Fergusson) of the Cambridge Centre for Chinese Theology, funded by Lux Mundi Inc. (USA).
You can visit his complete profile here.
Committees
The structure and the membership of the Committee of Management of the Cambridge Centre for Chinese Theology have been approved by the Faculty Board on 04/07/2025 and is as follows:
Management Committee
Chair: Dr Simeon Xu
Members: Professor David Fergusson, Professor Richard Rex, Professor Jörg Haustein
Secretary: Jill Christiaens
Advisory Committee
Chair: Dr Simeon Xu
Members: Professor Daryl Ireland, The Reverend Dr Helen Dawes (Westcott House), Professor Chloë Starr (Yale Divinity School), Dr Alexander Chow (School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh), Professor Kevin Yao (Gordon Conwell Seminary), Professor David Fergusson
Secretary: Jill Christiaens
Research Fellows
The Centre will appoint one Early Career Research Fellow from 2026 to 2029. The post-holder is expected to conduct original independent research of their choice in relation to Chinese theologies. Further details including the job description will be announced in due course.