Draft:Deborah Haarsma

 Deborah B. Haarsma (born June 24, 1969) is an American astronomer, evolutionary creationist, and public speaker on science and faith issues, who is the current president of BioLogos, a Christian advocacy organization that addresses issues at the nexus of science and biblical faith, including evolution, climate change, and public health.

Haarsma advocates for the "harmony" between science and biblical faith, contending that science and Christianity share key values, including curiosity, humility, and service. She holds to the scientific consensus that the age of the earth is about 4.5 billion years old and the age of the universe is about 13.8 billion years old.

Haarsma has her doctoral degree in astrophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and authored the book Origins (2011) with her husband and fellow physicist, Loren Haarsma. Before being named president at BioLogos in 2013, she was a professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Calvin University.

She has been outspoken on the need for what she calls “gracious dialogue” among Christians and the broader public, particularly with regard to science and the polarization around COVID-19 and vaccination. Alongside BioLogos founder Francis Collins, Haarsma advocated for the COVID-19 vaccine among the Christian community, and led her organization’s A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times in 2020, which was signed by leading figures such as N.T. Wright, Philip Yancey, David French, and Walter Kim. The statement encouraged Christians to get vaccinated, pray, and wear masks, among other calls to action, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publications