Bee Scherer

Prof. Bee Scherer holds the position of Full Professor in Buddhist Studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands) and serves as Rector of the Dutch Buddhist Seminary, overseeing national Buddhist chaplaincy training. Previously, they were Chair of Religious Studies and Gender Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University (UK). Their research focuses on Buddhist Studies, Critical Theory (Gender/Sexuality/Disability), and intersectional social justice activism.

Education: PhD in Religious Studies (2002, University of Groningen) with specialization in ancient myth and poetry. Undergraduate studies in Religious Studies, Classics, Indo-European Studies, Indology, and Tibetology at Universities of Bonn and Münster (Germany).

Research interests include early Buddhist literature, Mahāyāna philosophy, contemporary Thai Buddhism, transnational Sinitic and Tibetan Buddhism, and engaged Buddhist thought. They are a non-binary trans Buddhist teacher in the Tibetan tradition, leading global retreats and lectures for two decades.

Key contributions include founding the Institute INCISE (2016) and the Queering Paradigms conference network, editing dozen books in this series. Active in projects like the Dhammapada Latine translation initiative and international academic engagements.

Advocacy includes work on queer suicide prevention, anti-ableist Buddhist ethics, and intersectional social justice. No specific awards listed, though their activism and publications reflect significant academic and social impact.