Profile

I am currently a PhD candidate in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Leeds, in the School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science. I began my PhD program in 2020. Before coming to Leeds, I studied at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where I received my M.A. in Christian Studies. Born and raised in Hong Kong, my academic journey has been informed by a critical engagement with questions of faith, experience, and the interpretation of biblical texts.

Research Project

My doctoral research examines Hebrew Bible wisdom literature, focusing particularly on Ecclesiastes, with some attention to Job. I adopt trauma-informed and bystander approaches to investigate how these texts engage with contemporary questions of suffering, resilience, and witness.

Research Interests

• Gender-critical interpretation of the Hebrew Bible
• Wisdom literature, especially Ecclesiastes
• Trauma studies and trauma-informed reading of the Hebrew Bible
• Bystander approach and biblical interpretation

Research Outputs

Chapters

Ng, Yannis Wing Yan. ‘Reading Lot’s Wife with Marginalised Migrants: Promoting Critical Empathy in the Biblical Studies Classroom’. In Activism, Bible, and Research-Based Teaching: Practical Approaches for the Global Biblical Studies Classroom, edited by Johanna Stiebert, 53–66. Bible in the Modern World 85. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2024.

Presentation (conference/workshop etc)

Ng, Yannis Wing Yan. ‘What if the World...? Reading Hope in the Book of Job’. Presented at the Society for the Study of Theology Postgraduate Conference, University of Edinburgh, 6 September 2023.

Ng, Yannis Wing Yan. ‘Comfort or Cajole: Reading Elkanah’s Response to Hannah with the Awareness of Coercive Control’. Presented at the Society for the Study of Theology Conference, University of Warwick, 19 April 2023. (A revised version of this paper is available [here])

Ng, Yannis Wing Yan. ‘Respondent of the plenary “Who holds the power and where is it held? An exploration of spiritual and domestic abuse” by Professor Lisa Oakley’. Presented at the Society for the Study of Theology Conference, University of Warwick, 18 April 2023.

Teaching Experience

• Teaching Assistant, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • Biblical Hebrew I (2019–2020)
  • Introduction to Hebrew Scriptures (2019–2020)
• Postgraduate Tutor, University of Leeds
  • Introduction to Jewish and Christian Texts (2022–2024)
  • Ideologies in Hebrew Bible Texts and Readers (2023–2024)
  • Introduction of Philosophy of Religion (2024–2025)
  • Human Rights and Religion (2024–2025)
• Assisted in seminar facilitation, provided feedback on student assignments, and supported undergraduate learning.

Qualifications

• MA Christian Studies (Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Religion and Public Life
• Centre for Jewish Studies