Biography
Dr Buki Fatona is an associate member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, conducting research in philosophy of cognitive neuroscience and religion. She has a keen interest in memory and imagination and how these cognitive abilities interact with, motivate, and give rise to an agent's actions.
She is Tutor in Theology (Christian Ethics) and Research Methods; she is also Postgraduate Programme Director at Ripon College Cuddesdon. After her DPhil, she remains a member of the Common Room at Wolfson College Oxford, and she is a Fellow of Oxford’s Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion.
She is an ordained priest in the Church of England, licensed in London Diocese and with a Permission to Officiate in Oxford Diocese. During her ordination training, she was Assistant Chaplain at Magdalen College Oxford.
Educational Background
Dr Fatona's research draws on her degrees in Microbiology (BSc); Theology (BA); Epistemology, Ethics, and Philosophy of Mind (MSc); and a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) from University of Oxford in Science and Religion supervised by Professor Alister McGrath, whilst he was Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion.
Research Interests
Philosophy of Cognitive Science and Religion; Philosophy of memory and the imagination in the ancient world, Middle Ages, and the contemporary context; Analytic Theology.
Research Centres and Projects
Fellow, Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford
https://www.ianramseycentre.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-buki-fatona
Member, Ancient World Research Cluster, Wolfson College, University of Oxford
https://awrc.web.ox.ac.uk/people/buki-fatona
Publicity Officer, European Society for the Study of Science and Theology
https://www.esssat.net/buki-fatona
Recent Publications
Fatona Buki. ‘Embodied Constructivism: The Imagination as a Vehicle for Mental Time Travel. Religious Studies. 2025:1-20. doi:10.1017/S0034412525100905
Fatona, Buki. ‘Recollecting the Infinite: Refining and Defending St Augustine's Constructivist Account of Memory and Imagination via Contemporary Cognitive Neuroscience.’ Oxford Research Archive: University of Oxford. 2024.
Fatona, Buki. ‘Do this in Remembrance of Me: Memory, Cognitive Neuroscience, and the Embodied Remembrance of God in Liturgical Action.’ Public Lecture hosted by Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford and the Humane Philosophy Society. 2023. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pDhpOYxd7E
Fatona, Buki. ‘Imagining the Infinite: Transcendent Models as a Fundamental Nexus Between Science and Religion.’ Issues in Science and Theology: Creative Pluralism? Ed. by Michael Fuller, Dirk Evers, and Anne Runehov. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. 121–131.
Current Projects
Dr Fatona is the host of Phil-Sci-Theo - an accessible discussion series exploring themes in the intersection of philosophy of science and religion featuring experts. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsoZ8q0tJwLcyfN8JkfNrSg
Courses Taught
Dr Fatona is on the Faculty's Tuition List for the following papers, Ethics I: Christian Moral Reasoning; Science and Religion; Further Studies in Science and Religion; Philosophy of Religion.
