NOSTER Will Move to Groningen

As of 1 January 2027, the University of Groningen will serve as the new host institution of NOSTER. Professor Todd Weir will become its new academic director.

The NOSTER Board has chosen the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society at the University of Groningen as the new host institution of NOSTER. Prof. dr. Todd Weir, Professor of History of Christianity and Modern Culture in this Faculty, will take on the position of Academic Director. In the Faculty’s press release, Weir explains that he wishes “to promote and further develop the unique learning model offered by NOSTER’s courses” and “to play a strategic role in representing the interests of NOSTER’s scholars at a national level.”

The current Academic Director, dr. Matthijs den Dulk, noted that, while this is the first time the school will be based there, the field has deep roots in Groningen, evolving over four centuries into “a vibrant, internationally oriented faculty” that is “well positioned to support NOSTER’s mission.”

In the coming months, the NOSTER office will prepare the curriculum for the next academic year and prepare for a smooth transition to Groningen. They will also advise the new director on setting up a new office.

National research schools in the humanities are hosted at one of the participating faculties for a maximum of ten years, after which they move to another faculty. The Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at Radboud University in Nijmegen has been NOSTER’s host institution since 2017.