AC Sydney Appoints World-Renowned New Testament Bible Scholar

Alphacrucis College (AC) has announced the appointment of world-renowned New Testament Bible Scholar Professor Rikk Watts to the Faculty of Theology in 2017.

Rikk, along with his wife Katie, will be returning home to Australia to take up the position after spending 20 years in academic roles at Regent College, including his current role as Professor of Biblical Studies. Rikk comes to AC with esteemed theological credentials as a highly regarded Biblical scholar, in particular in the Gospel of Mark, Isaiah, and the NT use of the OT, and brings senior academic expertise to support AC’s University vision.

AC Chief Academic Officer, David Perry, says that “We see this as a significant appointment for AC in securing one of the leading New Testament scholars and we are honoured to have Rikk join our theological faculty. Rikk’s outstanding experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership will be a tremendous asset to AC as we push towards our vision of becoming a Christian University”.

In addition to his time at Regent College, Rikk’s academic experience has included work as instructor at Gordon-Conwell (Boston), Wycliffe Hall (Oxford), La Trobe University (Melbourne), and the Bible College of Victoria (Melbourne).

Rikk’s other diverse experience includes training as an aeronautical engineer and working for a number of years with IBM in large retail systems engineering. He has undertaken degrees in philosophy, art history, and sociology, before eventually studying theology at Boston and Cambridge.

Rikk and his wife Katie have two adult children, Steven and Rebecca. In addition to an obsession with sailing, he enjoys movies, good restaurants, music, reading, and going for long walks with Katie. He has been attending Living Waters, which is part of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, and is also a member of the preaching team.

AC warmly welcomes Rikk to the faculty.