Ellen Van Stichel

Ellen Van Stichel is an Associate Professor of Christian Social and Political Ethics at KU Leuven’s Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies. She holds multiple roles including membership in the Research Unit Theological and Comparative Ethics, coordinator of the Centre of Catholic Social Thought, and member of Ethics@KULeuven. Her research focuses on how theology contributes to social issues through interdisciplinary dialogue, particularly addressing inequality, ecology, nationalism, and populism within Catholic social thought frameworks. She earned her doctorate in 2010 with a thesis on global duties in Catholic social thought, awarded the Mgr. Arthur Janssen Prize in 2012. Current projects include an interdisciplinary study on emotions and religion in populist contexts (co-supervised with Koen Abts). Her teaching spans ethics in economics, business, and public policy. She founded the 'Amos' initiative to bridge academia and civil society for social transformation. Since 2022, she chairs the Research Unit of the Faculty Board, overseeing junior scholars' welfare.

Education: PhD in Theology, KU Leuven (2010).

Research Themes: Political emotions, global justice, relational theology, decolonial ethics, and the role of religion in populism. Key concepts include vulnerability, solidarity, and the global common good.

Awards: Mgr. Arthur Janssen Prize for Christian Ethics (2012).

Projects: BOF-funded project on emotions and religion in populism; supervision of 6+ PhD projects including studies on Nigerian peacebuilding and empathy in moral education.

Labs/Initiatives: Centre of Catholic Social Thought; 'Amos' civil society network.