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“Facing the Challenges of Transhumanism: Religion, Science and Technology,” grew out of a faculty seminar that began meeting in 2004. Led by history professor and project director Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, the seminar—“Being Human: Religion, Science, Technology and Law”—brought faculty together from the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, engineering and law to explore the serious ethical and conceptual issues posed by rapidly evolving technological innovations in the life sciences and related fields. A core group of faculty formed the project’s oversight committee to provide on-going guidance to the project. Members of the committee continue to participate in the faculty seminar and an intensive workshop held each year.

The project is administered by the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, whose work engages a broad range of themes concerning conflicts at the borders of religion(s) and the secular, including at the interface of science and religion. The center is one of fourteen units on campus that serve as co-sponsors of the project, emphasizing the broad interdisciplinary and collaborative thinking necessary to address the complex challenges of rapidly emerging and converging technologies. The project is funded by the Metanexus Institute and the John Templeton Foundation.