The Neal A. Maxwell Institute is excited to welcome Tim Farrant and Ryan Tobler as postdoctoral fellows. Maxwell Institute scholars work together to produce religious scholarship that inspires Latter-day Saints and engages the broader world of religious ideas.
Dr. Farrant completed a D.Phil. at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he was mentored by Rev. Dr. Andrew Teal, former visiting fellow at the Institute. Farrant has expertise in theology and Christian thought. He is a member of the Institute’s “Seek This Jesus” initiative. Dr. Tobler received his PhD from Harvard University’s Program on Religion, where he studied American religious history and was mentored by Dr. David F. Holland, former member of the Maxwell Institute advisory board. Dr. Tobler works on religion and ritual in early America and plans to develop that research as both an academic monograph and as material to help Latter-day Saints better understand the context and development of early Church life.
Spencer Fluhman, Maxwell Institute executive director, is thrilled to welcome these promising young scholars. “Along with Rachael Johnson and Joseph Stuart, this 2022 group of early-career scholars bring vitality and expertise to the Maxwell Institute. We are excited for this cohort of postdoctoral fellows and for what they will do to enrich Latter-day Saints and contribute to varied academic audiences, too.” Both Farrant and Tobler begin their terms of service at the Institute on September 1, 2022.