Kristin is currently Professor of Sociology of Religion at the Centre for Peace and Security, Coventry University, having previously taught at Ridley Hall Cambridge and the University of Derby. She has also been a visiting fellow at Grinnell College, Iowa, Uppsala University and Deakin University.
Professor Aune’s research expertise is in religion and higher education, and her book Religion and Higher Education in Europe and North America (ed. with J. Stevenson) is published by Routledge. She has undertaken pioneering work on gender, religion and feminism. Her book on single women’s marginalisation in the church led to a PhD on gender in evangelical Christianity, the findings of which were widely published. Fascinated by how women’s changing lives are affecting their faith commitments, she co-edited Women and Religion in the West: Challenging Secularization, which traces the disaffiliation of women from religious institutions, exploring differences between Christianity, Islam and alternative spirituality.
Professor Aune has been working with Loughborough since 2022 advising on the university’s provision for religious students and staff. As a result, a working group was set up for interfaith staff and students, to include progressing recommendations of Professor Aune’s interfaith and worldview research, with a focus on both staff and students. The impact of Professor Aune’s work advising Loughborough also includes the launch of the National Higher Education Chaplaincy Network in March 2024.
Prof Aune’s work aligns closely with university’s strategy Creating Better Futures. Together, including the strategic theme Vibrant and Inclusive Communities and the core element of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) – both of which encompass religion and belief.
Prof Aune’s work also ties in with the School of Social Sciences and Humanities’ research strategy, and in particular the theme of ‘Dimensions of Inequality’ which seeks to understand and challenge inequality, discrimination and exclusion in an unequal world.
Head of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy, Professor Line Nyhagen commented “we are thrilled to be working with Professor Aune whose research ties in with our strategy ‘Equity, Justice, Health and Inclusion’, which includes a focus on the role of religion and belief in communities and in people’s everyday lives. We look forward to working closely together towards this strategy.”
Regarding her appointment, Professor Aune stated “I am very excited to be joining Loughborough University and building upon the work we have already done together. I am motivated by how research can contribute to social justice and bring about positive social change. I want to do research that advances equality and inclusion for students and staff holding different religious and worldview perspectives, and I look forward to continuing this work at Loughborough.”