Liz Boase appointed Professor of the University

Congratulations to Professor Liz Boase, appointed Professor of the University by the University Council on 13 November 2024. Professor Boase has been the inaugural Dean of the School of Graduate Research since 2020, and is an internationally recognised biblical scholar specialising in trauma hermeneutics. In making the appointment, the Council particularly commended her wise and skilful stewardship of the SGR, showing ‘competence and care at every level’, and the recent publication of her groundbreaking monograph Trauma Theories: Refractions in the Book of Jeremiah.

The citation reads:

Colleagues within and beyond the University of Divinity have recognised and affirmed the outstanding achievements of Professor Boase in the areas of learning and teaching, in research and in leadership in the academy as well as commending her strong professional engagement in the church and wider community.

Professor Boase is a skilled and appreciated teacher who has enhanced the learning experience of students and supervisors within the School of Graduate Research with great competence and care.  She has initiated course and unit level changes to consolidate student learning to ensure success in the minor thesis, introduced key opportunities for professional development for higher degree by research students and their supervisors, expertly scaffolded the requirements of a key unit in Research Methodologies, and established a community of practice approach to enrich the experience of supervision across the University with an emphasis on pedagogy. She was instrumental in the design and establishment of the award of Doctor of Professional Practice and has led the University’s School of Graduate Research with grace and distinction since her appointment as the inaugural Dean in 2020.

As a scholar of the Hebrew Bible, Professor Boase is celebrated internationally for judicious, nuanced, interdisciplinary and innovative contributions. Her scholarship is recognised as both foundational to the field of trauma studies and as bringing new perspectives to the theological conversation on human suffering. Early work on Lamentations and more recently on the Book of Jeremiah is theoretically nuanced and exegetically rich. Her most recent book Trauma Theories: Refractions in the Book of Jeremiah conveys complex insights with lucidity and literary power, working across a range of theoretical approaches in order to both broaden and synthesise strategies for interpretation of Biblical material.

As Dean of the School of Graduate Research, Professor Boase has built a student-centric collaborative culture in this core area of the University’s endeavour. She brings sensitive and insightful leadership to key University committees, both as member and as chair, and to wider academic and professional networks.  Her work in policy and capacity to think structurally is widely appreciated.  Professor Boase also served as acting Vice-Chancellor in September 2023 and March-April 2024. The Academic Promotions Committee was warm and unanimous in recognising the excellence of her contribution.