Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray

FBA OBE FLSW

Research

Research interests

Successful research grant applications and projects

2017-2020 - £659,070 as CI – ESRC (with PI - Prof Helen Sampson, SIRC): 'Religion in Multi–ethnic Contexts: the case of global seafaring'

2016-2017 - £31,384 - as CI – GW4 'Accelerator Fund' (with Prof Rob Gleave, Exeter University): Understanding Religion and Law: Muslims, Fatwas and Muftis in the UK'

2009-2011 - £77,76 as CI – AHRC/ESRC (with Prof. G. Douglas): 'Social Cohesion and Civil Law: The Family and Religious Courts'

2009-2010 - £16,000 - as PI – Botanic Gardens Conservation Int.: 'Islamic Gardens in Britain'

2007-2012 - £270, 381 - AS PI -  AHRC/ESRC (with Prof. S. Pattison): 'Leadership and Capacity Building in British Muslim Communities: the case of Muslim chaplains'

2007-2010 - £379, 658 - as CI- AHRC/ESRC (with Dr. J. Scourfield): 'Religious Nurture in Muslim Families'

2006-2007 - £13,136 - as PI -  Home Office (DCLG): 'Muslims in Britain Research Network Grant'

2002-2005 - £133,250 - as PI – ESRC: 'Genetics, Religion and Identity: Bangladeshi Muslims in Britain'

2002-2003 - £14,934 - as PI - Leverhulme Trust: 'The Training of Imams in Britain'

2002-2003 - £1,470 - AS PI - PRS-LTSN: 'Development of Employability Skills in the Sociology of Religion'

2002-2003 - £1,250 - AS PI - PRS-LTSN: 'Theology and Religious Studies in the University of Wales'

2000 - £2,687 - as PI - Nuffield Foundation: 'Chaplaincy at the Millennium Dome'

2000 - £3,000 - as PI - Sir Halley Stewart Trust: 'The Faith Zone at the Millennium Dome'

1997 - £1,500 - as PI - University of Exeter Research Committee: 'Religion in Higher Education'

1997 - £38,692 - as CI - Leverhulme Trust: 'The Training of Anglican Clergy for Ministry in a Multi-faith  Society

1995 - £1,574 - as PI - Nuffield Foundation: 'Chaplaincy in the United States'

Teaching

Postgraduate doctoral students (completed)

• Carl Morris (2009-2012): 'Sounds Islamic: Muslim Music in Britain'
• Abdul-Azim Ahmed (2012 – 2016): 'Sacred Rhythms: an ethnography of a British mosque'
• Riyaz Timol (2012 – 2017): 'Spiritual Wayfarers in a secular age: the Tablighi Jama'at in Modern Britain'
• Asma Khan (2013-2018): 'Beliefs, Choices and Constraints: understanding and explaining the economic inactivity of British Muslim women'
• Jo Bryant (2014-2018): 'The Integration of Minority Faith Groups in Acute Healthcare Chaplaincy'
• Haroon Sidat (2015-2019): 'Formation and Training of British Muslim Scholars'
• Matthew Vince (2015-2018): 'Muslim Identities in Contemporary Britain: the case of Muslim Religious Education Teachers'
• Ayesha Khan (2017 – 2020): 'Sufisticated: Exploring Contemporary Sufism among Young British Muslims'
• Laura Jones (2018 – 2022): Ramadan in the UK: a month of ambiguity'

Biography

Education and qualifications

1994 Ph.D. in Religious Studies, University of Wales, Lampeter

1992 M.A. in Interfaith Studies, University of Wales, Lampeter (with Distinction)

1991 B.A. (Joint Hons) Theology & Religious Studies, University of Wales, Lampeter, (First Class)

Career overview

2013-present, Cardiff University, Professor of Religious & Theological Studies

2010 – 2013, Cardiff University, Reader in Religious & Theological Studies

2007 – 2010, Cardiff University, Senior Lecturer in Religious & Theological Studies

2005 – present, Cardiff University, Director,  Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK

2004 – 2007, Cardiff University, Lecturer in Religious & Theological Studies

1999 – 2004, Cardiff University, School of Religious and Theological Studies, Cardiff Research Fellow

1998 – University of Exeter, Research Fellow in Sociology

1994 – 1997, University of Warwick, Research Fellow, Department of Sociology and part-time tutor, Institute of Education

Honours and awards

• I was awarded an OBE in 2020 for my work in British Muslim Studies
• Elected as a member of the Learned Society of Wales, 2019
• In March 2006, I was given an 'Award for Excellence' by The Muslim News (the largest circulation national newspaper for British Muslims) for my work in the field of 'Education'.
• Nominee of the 'Muslim Council of Britain', to attend the Queen's Garden Party, Buckingham Palace, 2009 in recognition of my research on Islam and Muslims in Britain

Professional memberships

• Association of Muslim Social Scientists (member of the Advisory Board 1998-2002; member of the Executive Committee 2002-3)
• Member of the editorial board for the international journals Fieldwork in Religion (2005 – present), Contemporary Islam (2009 – present); Journal of Muslims in Europe (2023-)
• Chair of the Advisory Board, 'Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations' (CRER), University of Warwick, 2005 – 2011)
• British Sociological Association 'Sociology of Religion Study Group', Convenor (1997-2000).
• Muslims in Britain Research Network, Co-ordinator (with Professor Jorgen Nielsen, Birmingham University, and Dr Sean McLoughlin, Leeds University), 2003- 2007. Elected as Chair in 2014 for a 3 year term.
• Trustee of 'Cambridge Muslim College' (directed by Abdul Hakim Murad/Tim Winter, University of Cambridge), from 2009-2015
• Higher Education Academy Islamic Studies Network, Advisory Board member (2009 to 2012)
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Islamic Foundation, Leicester (from 2011-2013)
• Editorial Board member for Bloomsbury Series 'Islam in the Global West' (2015-)
• Founding Editor, with Yahya Birt and Shamim Miah, of the 'Oxford British Muslim Studies' series (2022-)
• Consultant for the NHS (E) Northern and Yorkshire Chaplains and Pastoral Care Committee document 'A Framework for Spiritual, Faith and Related Pastoral Care', December 1995.
• Consultant for the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts document Spiritual Care in the NHS, December 1996
• Consultant for the Diocese of Birmingham (supervision of post-ordination training project)
• Consultant for Religions in the UK - A Multi-Faith Directory, (University of Derby/Inter-Faith Network for the UK)
• Consultant to Lincoln Theological Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, University of Sheffield for a one-year project: 'Responding to Change: Health Care Chaplaincy in the NHS (1999-2000)
• Consultant to Joseph Rowntree funded project, 2004-5
• Consultant to AHRB-funded project, University of Leeds, 2005
• Member of the Home Office Task Force on 'Preventing Extremism' ('Education' working group) (2005)
• In 2005, I was nominated as one of 14 'star' researchers at Cardiff University http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/brightprospects/profilegilliatray.html
• In March 2006, I was given an 'Award for Excellence' by The Muslim News (the largest circulation national newspaper for British Muslims) for my work in the field of 'Education'.
• Member of the Steering Group for the HEFCE project on 'Islam in Universities in England' (The Siddiqui Report) 2007
• Member of the national Advisory Group for the Muslim Faith Leaders Review (Communities and Local Government) 2008-9
• Regular invitations to referee book proposals for academic publishers: SAGE (London), Ashgate (Aldershot), Palgrave-Macmillan (Basingstoke), Edinburgh University Press (Edinburgh), Routledge (London)
• Regular invitations to referee for peer review journal articles (Journal of Contemporary Religion, British Journal of Religious Education, Review of Religious Research, Sociology, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences)
• Regular invitations to referee grant proposals for ESRC, AHRC, King's Fund, Nuffield Foundation
• Consultant to the 'Four Generations Project', Somali Integration Society, Cardiff (from 2009)
• Nominee of the 'Muslim Council of Britain', to attend the Queen's Garden Party, Buckingham Palace, 2009 in recognition of my research on Islam and Muslims in Britain
• Contributions to the AHRC/ESRC 'Religion and Society' Programme more widely (e.g. publications arising from the Programme), participation in a doctoral training conference, advising and contributing to other Programme-related events and projects (e.g. workshops in Lancaster, Cambridge University research on University-Community engagement).
• Reviewer of publications for REF 2014 (University of Edinburgh)
• Peer review of major grant application for Danish Council for Independent Research (2015)
• Member of Panel 31 (Theology and Religious Studies) for REF21
• Commission on Islam, Participation and Public Life (Chair: Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC) 2015-17, and Chair of the 'Muslim Leadership' sub-group

Academic positions

Research Fellow in Sociology, University of Exeter, 1998

Research Fellow in Sociology, University of Warwick, 1994-1997

Committees and reviewing

2015-2016, Supporting Excellence Framework Steering Committee (Chair: Prof Elizabeth Treasure, Deputy Vice-Chancellor)

2012-2016, Postgraduate Tutor, Department of Religious & Theological Studies

2011-2014, member of School Senior Management Team, with brief for 'Innovation and Engagement'.

Supervisions

I am interested in supervision of PhD students in the broad field of British Muslim Studies, with particular focus on questions around leadership, mosques, chaplaincy, imams, and other Muslim 'religious professionals'. I also welcome enquiries about research concerning chaplainy more broadly.

Current supervision

Ifthahar Ahmed

Research student

Fatou Sambe

Research student

Laiqah Osman

Research student

Fatima Khan

Research student

Subhan Dalvi

Research student

Nancy Kamal

Research student

Hanan Basher

Research student

Past projects

• Carl Morris (2009-2012): 'Sounds Islamic: Muslim Music in Britain'
• Abdul-Azim Ahmed (2012 – 2016): 'Sacred Rhythms: an ethnography of a British mosque'
• Riyaz Timol (2012 – 2017): 'Spiritual Wayfarers in a secular age: the Tablighi Jama'at in Modern Britain'
• Asma Khan (2013-2018): 'Beliefs, Choices and Constraints: understanding and explaining the economic inactivity of British Muslim women'
• Jo Bryant (2014-2018): 'The Integration of Minority Faith Groups in Acute Healthcare Chaplaincy'
• Haroon Sidat (2015-2019): 'Formation and Training of British Muslim Scholars'
• Matthew Vince (2015-2018): 'Muslim Identities in Contemporary Britain: the case of Muslim Religious Education Teachers'
• Ayesha Khan (2017 – 2020): 'Sufisticated: Exploring Contemporary Sufism among Young British Muslims'
• Laura Jones (2018 – 2022): Ramadan in the UK: a month of ambiguity'

All of my PhD students have passed their viva first time with only 'minor corrections'.