Dr. Paul Scherz, Ph.D.

Dr. Paul Scherz, Ph.D., is a leading expert on the relationship between science and religion who draws on his dual training as a molecular biologist and theologian. After earning a Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard University, he received the prestigious Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship to work on models of congenital heart defects at the University of California, San Francisco. His interest in the relationship between his faith and biomedical work led him to pursue theological studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he received a Ph.D. in moral theology. He is an assistant professor of moral theology and ethics at The Catholic University of America, where he teaches courses on bioethics, the ethics of technology, and theology.
 Dr. Scherz has published widely on both science and theology in journals such as Science, Cell, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of the Society for Christian Ethics, the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, Theological Studies, and the Journal of Religious Ethics. His research examines the interrelationship between ethics, religion, science, and medicine, especially as they relate to innovations in genetic biotechnologies. He is currently working on projects that address genetic risk in our understanding of health and disease, as well as a project on the Christian understanding of death.
 
Praise for Dr. Paul Scherz
“Paul Scherz represents a rare, almost unique combination in Catholic theology: an Ivy-League-trained scientist and an insightful, faithful moral theologian. Even better, he is a great teacher who knows how to make complex scientific material accessible to a wide audience. Paul sees what is ethically important in science, explaining it in ways that enhance the faith and practice of all Catholics. An outstanding resource!”
– David Cloutier, Associate Professor of Theology, The Catholic University of America
 
“With his earlier experience as a promising geneticist and his outstanding ability to locate and illuminate the root of a problem, Paul Scherz has already produced some of our generation’s most insightful work in the theological ethics of medicine, science, and technology. To top it off, he is one of the clearest and most accessible speakers I have ever heard.”
– Luis G. Vera, Assistant Professor of Theology, Mount St. Mary’s University