Elselijn Kingma

Elselijn Kingma is the Sowerby Professor of Philosophy and Medicine at King’s College London, based in the Department of Philosophy within the Faculty of Arts & Humanities. She holds undergraduate degrees in Medicine and Psychology from Leiden University (2004), an MPhil (2005) and PhD (2008) in History & Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge, and post-doctoral training at the National Institutes of Health (USA). Her research focuses on the metaphysical, ethical, and existential dimensions of childbirth, leading the UK arm of the international Birth Experience Study (BESt-UK). She is a lead investigator on a 5-year €1.2M ERC grant and recipient of the Philip Leverhulme Prize (2019).

• Education: Leiden University (Medicine & Psychology, 2004); University of Cambridge (MPhil 2005, PhD 2008)

Her research integrates philosophy, bioethics, and medical humanities to explore how societal norms and individual experiences shape understandings of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The BESt-UK project analyzes diverse narratives of childbirth to inform ethical and clinical practices. Kingma’s work bridges existential philosophy and feminist critiques, addressing questions of bodily autonomy and moral responsibility in healthcare contexts.

• Awards: ERC Research Grant (2019–2024), Philip Leverhulme Prize (2019)

She previously taught at the Universities of Southampton, Eindhoven, and Cambridge. Her grants and leadership roles reflect her role as a key figure in interdisciplinary studies of reproductive ethics. The BESt-UK project operates within King’s College London’s philosophy department, collaborating with international teams to advance intersectional research on childbirth experiences.