08/16/2026
Dr. Christine Altinis-Kiraz, PhD
Dr. Christine Altinis-Kiraz, PhD is a member of the Board of Saint John’s Theological Seminary recently appointed by the Supreme Patron of the Seminary, His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II. She is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, where she has spent many years teaching, mentoring students, and serving in academic leadership roles.
She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her PhD in Chemistry from Rutgers University–New Brunswick. Her work as an educator has focused on finding effective ways to help students succeed, particularly through active learning, meaningful learning theory, and metacognition. Her dedication to teaching has been recognized by Rutgers with the 2022 Distinguished Contribution to Undergraduate Education Award, a 2023 Provost Teaching Fellowship, and the 2024 Chancellor-Provost Teaching Innovation Award. From 2018 to 2023, she also served as Academic Co-Coordinator for the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, helping oversee instructional planning and staffing for a department serving approximately 8,000-10,000 students each year.
Beyond her work at Rutgers, Dr. Altinis-Kiraz has devoted many years to the Syriac community and to preserving and promoting its faith, history, language, and heritage. She chaired the Syriac Women’s Leadership Committee (Suryoyto Women’s group) from 2012 to 2025, organizing conferences and programs that brought distinguished female scholars together with women of the Syriac community. Among these efforts was the commemoration of the centennial of Sayfo, attended by His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak, clergy, and more than one hundred women.
Her interest in Syriac heritage has also been reflected in her academic work. She has presented at Rutgers on the preservation of Classical and Vernacular Syriac, and in 2016 she served as a consultant to the United States Department of State on the protection of the cultural and religious heritage of minorities in the Middle East.
Dr. Altinis-Kiraz has served as Treasurer of Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute since 2012 and as Faculty Advisor to RU Suryoyo, the Syriac student organization at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, since 2017. She also remains actively involved in the life of the Church and teaches the Kindergarten class at St. Mark’s Sunday School.
Together with her husband, Deacon George A. Kiraz, Dr. Altinis-Kiraz co-founded Gorgias Press, an independent academic publishing house with a strong focus on Syriac studies, Eastern Christianity, religious studies, and the humanities. She has served as Vice President of Gorgias Press since 2001, with responsibilities that have included administration, academic programs, and initiatives supporting scholars and underrepresented fields of study. Since 2007, she has also co-chaired the Gorgias Book Grant Committee, which supports graduate students pursuing scholarship in areas represented by the Press.
Dr. Altinis-Kiraz and Deacon George are the proud parents of Tabetha Gabriella, an aspiring writer; Sebastian Kenoro, an ordained subdeacon; and Lucian Nurono, an ordained Qoruyo.
Dr. Altinis-Kiraz brings to the Board of Saint John’s Theological Seminary many years of experience in higher education, academic administration, scholarship, and service to the Syriac community. Her commitment to education, Christian service, and the preservation of the Syriac Orthodox faith and heritage closely reflects the mission of Saint John’s Theological Seminary.
Visit the St. John’s Theological Seminary website at www.sjtseminary.org for more information.
