Ali-Reza Bhojani

Ali-Reza Bhojani is an Assistant Professor in Islamic Ethics at the Department of Theology and Religion, University of Birmingham. He joined the department in 2021 as a Teaching Fellow before being appointed to his current role in 2024. He has held academic positions at institutions including Al-Mahdi Institute, University of Nottingham, University of Oxford, and Markfield Institute for Education, where he served on the executive team (2012-2017) and co-directed the Centre for Intra-Muslim Studies (2019-2021).

• PhD in Islamic Legal Theory, Durham University (2013)
• MA in Research Methods (International Relations and Politics), Durham University (2009)
• Hawza Programme (Arabic & Islamic Studies), Al-Mahdi Institute (2008)
• MCOptom, College of Optometrists (2004)
• BSc (Hons) Optometry, Bradford University (2003)

His research focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to Islamic legal theory, particularly the relationship between Sharia and ethics in both theoretical and applied contexts. Key areas include free speech ethics, artificial intelligence, human plurality, and Modern Twelver Shīʿī legal theory. He leads the MA in Islamic Studies program, convening the core module Approaches to the Study of Islam.

Recent publications address AI ethics in Islamic thought, religious authority in the Shi'i diaspora, and Quranic interpretation in legal frameworks. His work engages with cross-cultural collaborations, including anthropologists and scholars from diverse religious traditions.

• Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2024)

He supervises doctoral research on topics like legal school dynamics in the Mamluk period and spiritual practices in British Muslim communities. He previously supervised projects on Ḥadīth origins and legal reasoning in Taqi al-Din al-Subki's work. His research collaborations include The Living Sharia Project with Oxford University.