Prof Alison Scott-Baumann is a senior researcher in the University of Derby Centre for Society, Religion and Belief. Alison is an experienced teacher, doctoral supervisor and examiner. She is also Visiting Research Fellow at Lancaster University and a member of the Fonds Ricoeur Conseil Scientifique. She works on two interrelated and also distinct research strands: philosophy and social justice, both of which have recently been recognized and rewarded by world class research grants (Leverhulme and ESRC). She currently holds a Leverhulme Emeritus Research Fellowship, to complete archive based research on Paul Ricoeur’s negation papers in Paris. She also applies philosophy to social justice issues, and has developed, over fifteen years, research and practical support to improve collaborative partnerships between Muslim colleges and universities. This has been recognised by a recent Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) award to a colleague and herself. In such a conflicted field, the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur is invaluable for challenging preconceptions and conducting research that is ethically sound at the intersection between faith and secularism.