Revd Canon Prof Peter Neil

Biography

Rev Canon Professor Peter Neil began professional life as a teacher of French and German in Scotland, having trained at Jordanhill College of Education and Glasgow University. He entered Higher Education in 1991 when he was appointed to a post in Queen’s University, Belfast. There he held various posts including director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Language Teaching and Research, director of the PGCE course and Assistant Head of the School of Education. During that time he completed a PhD in Education, looking at the use of German in the classroom by secondary school teachers. Following that he began studying theology at Union Theological College. He then took up post as Professor and Director of the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at Aberystwyth University. He returned to his native Scotland in 2009 when he was appointed Head of Education and, latterly, interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Social Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland. He studied theology at Cardiff University from 2006 and trained for the Anglican priesthood at St Michael’s College, Llandaff, Cardiff. He was ordained in the Church in Wales in St David’s Cathedral in 2008 and 2009. He holds the Bishop’s General Preaching Licence for the Diocese of Lincoln. His main research interests in the past were language education and he is currently engaged in a study of lay theological education in the context of the DMin course at St Mary’s and St Giles’ Centre, Wales, validated by the University of Wales. He is honorary visiting professor at Glyndŵr University in Wrexham. He took up post as Vice Chancellor at Bishop Grosseteste in 2013.

Research Interest

study of lay theological education