Rate My Professor Adam Dinham

Professor Adam Dinham holds the position of Professor of Faith and Public Policy at Goldsmiths, University of London. He currently serves as Executive Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Culture and Belonging, leading the university's incoming faculty structure and overseeing the Faculty of Creative Arts and Media and the Faculty of Society and Innovation. Dinham is also Director of the Faiths and Civil Society Unit and is affiliated with the School of Mind, Body and Society. Previously, he was Head of the School of Culture and Society. His academic background encompasses degrees in Theology and Religious Studies (BA and MA, University of Cambridge), Applied Social Studies and Social Policy (MA, Brunel University), and Politics (PhD, Goldsmiths, University of London). He holds professional qualifications including Diploma in Social Work for children’s social work (DipSW, Brunel), Community Development and Youth Work (Brunel), and Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP accredited, University of the West of England). Dinham joined Goldsmiths as Reader in Human Geography in 2008 and was promoted to Professor in 2012. He also maintains a private practice as a counselling therapist.

Dinham's research specializations focus on religion and belief as a protected characteristic in equality policy and practice, with particular emphasis on health and social care, schools, and the public sphere. Central interests include religious literacy, the contributions of faith-based organisations to the mixed economy of welfare, and theories and practices of faith-based social action. He formerly chaired the British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group. Key publications include Faiths, Public Policy and Civil Society: Problems, Policies, Faiths (2009), editor of Faith in the Public Realm: Controversies, Policies and Practices (Policy Press, 2009), and editor of Religious Literacy in Policy and Practice (Policy Press, 2015). Other notable works encompass articles such as 'Religious Literacy through Religious Education: The Future of Teaching and Learning about Religion and Belief' (Religions, 2017) and contributions to interdisciplinary studies on religion and belief engagement in universities. Dinham's religious literacy programme has exerted significant influence, evidenced by its recognition in the UK Research Excellence Framework impact case studies, shaping policy, education, and professional practice across sectors.