Dr Kirsi Cobb – Cliff College

Kirsi joined Cliff College in September 2013.

Originally from Finland, Kirsi moved to the UK in 1999 to pursue a BA in theology. She is a graduate from the University of Wales, Bangor, where she completed her doctorate in 2012. Her PhD dissertation was on the biblical figure of Miriam and the multiple ways her story can be read when using different methods of hermeneutics.

Kirsi’s main research interests are women’s studies and biblical interpretation, especially in the Old Testament. Her recent research projects centre upon reading troubling and violent passages in the Hebrew Bible such as Hosea 2 and Miriam’s Song in Exodus 15:21, using lenses of trauma theory, autoethnography, revenge and abuse. Her research seeks to find ways to better understand such disturbing themes in the Bible and read women’s stories in more empowering ways.

Together with Dr. Holly Morse (The University of Manchester), Kirsi is also the co-founder and co-director of the Bible, Gender and Church Research Centre. The Centre aims to foster research in biblical gender studies through various projects that will affect change in the Church and academia, so the both women and men can be empowered ‘to live life to the full’.

Kirsi lives in Sheffield with her husband Stuart who serves as a faithful sounding board to Kirsi’s research ideas. In her spare time, Kirsi likes hiking, streetdance and watching movies.