The Wheaton Fellows Program is a prestigious and competitive fellowship designed to equip Christian scholars in secular institutions with a robust theological foundation and lasting connections to the broader Christian academic community. Co-led by Dr. Joshua Swamidass and Dr. Marc Cortez, this transformative program provides a rare and vital opportunity for scholars to integrate their faith with their academic work, contributing meaningfully to their fields, the Church, and the world.
2025 Wheaton Fellows
Wheaton is pleased to welcome the following Fellows to the 2025 Cohort.
Paul Brandon Rimmer
is a physicist who studies chemical reactions that can make the building blocks of life. He obtained his B.S. at University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center and a PhD in Physics from The Ohio State University. Dr. Rimmer is an assistant professor of experimental astrophysics at Cavendish Laboratory: Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, leading research in laboratory experiments and theoretical models of prebiotic chemistry that can spontaneously occur on planetary surfaces. Dr. Rimmer became a Catholic as the result of a religious experience in the starlit mountains of Colorado. His faith journey could be seen as a random walk with Christ as the Great Attractor. He is interested in finding ways to share his love of science and the amazing new discoveries in origins of life research with other Christians, and to talk with other scientists and the general public about traces of the hand of God at life’s creation.
Jonathan Pettigrew
(PhD, Penn State) is Associate Professor of Human Communication in the Hugh Downs School at Arizona State University. He has dedicated his scholarship to promoting healthy relationships for youth, families, and society. His work has an international scope, interdisciplinary bent, and aims for social impact. Pettigrew has been Principal Investigator for over $2 million in federal grants. His projects include designing, delivering, and evaluating health interventions through partnerships with communities in the United States and in Latin America. His publications have advanced understanding about how parents and youth talk about drugs, social processes that impact behavioral intervention effects, and how school and family programs are delivered. A devoted Christian, Pettigrew has co-edited a book called Professing Christ: Christian Tradition and Faith-learning Integration in Public Universities and co-authored a textbook called Family Communication and the Christian Faith: An Introduction and Exploration.
Austin Knuppe
is an assistant professor of political science at Utah State University. Beginning in May 2025, he will also serve as the inaugural director of the Heravi Peace Institute. His research and teaching interests include civilian survival during wartime, Middle East politics, and the role of religion in international politics. His first book, Surviving the Islamic State: Contention, Cooperation, and Neutrality in Wartime Iraq (Columbia University Press, 2024), explores how ordinary Iraqis survived Islamic State control of their communities between 2014 and 2018.
Daniel Ang
is a staff scientist at the Quantum Technology Center, University of Maryland, where he leads research at the intersection of quantum sensing fundamental physics. His work focuses on using quantum defects in diamond to detect elusive particles such as neutrinos and dark matter. He obtained his PhD in experimental atomic physics and precision measurement at Harvard University, where he made key contributions towards performing the most precise measurement of the electron's shape. Alongside his scientific career, he is engaged in the intellectual integration of science and theology. His current theological interests include the relationship between modern science and the doctrine of original sin, as well as the integration of modern physics within a classical theistic metaphysical framework.
Stephen Chen
is Associate Professor of Psychology at Wellesley College. His research examines how culture and family processes influence mental health and development across the lifespan, with a focus on Asian American families. In addition to his research, he teaches courses in Asian American Psychology, Cultural Psychology, and Culture and Emotion. He completed his PhD in psychology at UC Berkeley and his clinical and postdoctoral fellowships at UCSF. Prior to graduate school, he worked for a number of years as a primary/secondary school counselor and administrator in Asia.
Joel Duff
is a husband, father, Christian, scientist, and educator, currently serving as a professor of biology at The University of Akron. His academic research centers on understanding biological diversity through comparative DNA sequencing and genome structure, and he has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles across a range of plant and animal systems. His broader vocation lies in bridging the worlds of science and faith. As a practicing Christian and biologist, he am passionate about fostering thoughtful, gracious dialogue between scientific and religious communities. Through his writing, speaking, and digital platforms, he encourages fellow Christians to engage science with curiosity and confidence and embracing both faith and reason. He contributes regularly to conversations at the intersection of science and Christian faith through his blog Naturalis Historia, personal website, and YouTube channel. He was also a contributor to Grand Canyon: Monument to an Ancient Earth. When not in the lab or the classroom, he enjoys photography and exploring the natural world with his wife and their five children.
Orestes “Pat” Hastings
is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University. His research focuses on social stratification, inequality, and family demography, which he studies using quantitative methods and computational social science. Much of his current research examines how parental investments of time and money are shaped by factors such as family income, education, race/ethnicity, and family structure; how parenting logics and resources intersect; and how various aspects of children’s family environments influence their achievement and long-term wellbeing. Pat received a B.A. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Physics from Rice University in 2007, before completing a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley in 2017.
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