Alma Brodersen

Alma Brodersen is Professor for Old Testament Studies at the University of Siegen, Germany, within the Faculty of Protestant Theology. She previously held a postdoctoral research and teaching position at the University of Bern (2019–2025) and completed her habilitation at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), where she was also a Privatdozentin. Her academic journey includes a D.Phil. in Theology from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

• University of Siegen (2025–present): Professor for Old Testament Studies
• University of Bern (2019–2025): Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer
• LMU Munich (2017–2022): Habilitation in Old Testament Theology
• University of Oxford (2012–2016): D.Phil. in Theology

Her research centers on the exegesis and theology of the Old Testament, with a focus on the formation of the biblical canon, the Psalms, Ben Sira, the Septuagint, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. She employs diachronic and intertextual methods to explore textual authority and the development of scriptural traditions. Her influential monographs include The Beginning of the Biblical Canon and Ben Sira (2022) and The End of the Psalter (2017), both widely reviewed and cited in the field.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a strong trend in canonical studies, textual criticism, and the reception of biblical texts in Second Temple Judaism. Her work frequently engages with comparative analysis of Hebrew, Greek, and Qumranic sources, emphasizing the fluidity of textual traditions before canonization.

• Theodor Kocher Prize, University of Bern (2023)
• Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise (2019)
• Rhodes Scholarship (2012–2015)
• Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2015)

Brodersen has supervised doctoral students and organized academic events, including international conferences on intertextuality and psalter formation. She has received research funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the University of Bern. She has also held leadership roles in academic governance, including serving on the Senate at the University of Bern and leading interdisciplinary doctoral groups at LMU Munich. Her teaching spans institutions in Germany, Switzerland, and the UK, with courses on Old Testament exegesis, biblical methods, and theology.

She is actively involved in scholarly organizations such as the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), the European Association of Biblical Studies (EABS), and the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Theologie (WGTh). Her work continues to shape contemporary understanding of early biblical interpretation and canon formation.