Robert Sullivan

Rev. Robert Sullivan is the Glynn Family Honors Professor of History and Associate Vice President for Academic Mission Support at the University of Notre Dame. He has been affiliated with the university since 1997. His research focuses on the interaction between Christianity and modern secular ideologies in the North Atlantic world, particularly themes of belief and unbelief. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Harvard University and a M.Div. from St. John’s Seminary (Boston), and was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1980.

His notable publication, Macaulay: The Tragedy of Power (2009), examines the intersection of political leadership and cultural identity. Currently, he is working on a new book titled Contesting Humanity: From Total War to Transhumanism, exploring late modern cultural shifts toward technical mastery over meaning and tradition. Sullivan’s academic contributions span teaching, administrative leadership, and scholarship in religious and intellectual history.