Alister E. McGrath was born in Belfast in 1953 and educated at Down High School and Methodist College Belfast. Formerly an atheist, he discovered Christianity while studying at the University of Oxford, where he earned first-class degrees in Chemistry and Theology, alongside doctorates in molecular biophysics, theology, and intellectual history.

He began teaching at Oxford in 1983 and went on to hold senior roles including Professor of Historical Theology, Professor of Theology at King’s College London, and Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford (2014–2022). He now serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, Oxford.

McGrath has also served as President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and Professor of Divinity at Gresham College, London. He holds British and Irish citizenship and lives near Oxford with his family.