Matthew Taylor

Matthew Taylor is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds a PhD and MA in English from Johns Hopkins University, alongside a BA in Honors English and Biology from Trinity University. His research bridges environmental humanities, critical theory, and American literature across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

• PhD, English, Johns Hopkins University
• MA, English, Johns Hopkins University
• BA, Honors English and Biology, Trinity University

Taylor’s work interrogates posthumanism, biopolitics, science and technology studies, and critical race theory through literary analysis. He explores intersections between literature and science, medicine, philosophy, and transatlantic cultural dynamics, with a focus on aesthetics and speculative genres like science fiction.

His publications include the book Universes without Us: Posthuman Cosmologies in American Literature and articles analyzing planetary limits, contagious emotions, and materialist specters. The articles reflect his engagement with posthuman cosmologies, science-literature entanglements, and critical race perspectives on historical narratives.

Teaching & Awards

• Deans Teaching Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University (2007)
• Faculty Fellowship, UNC Institute for the Arts & Humanities (2017)
• Schwab Academic Excellence Award (2016)
• IBM Junior Faculty Development Award (2009)
• James Gargano Award for Best Scholarly Essay (2007)

Taylor teaches courses such as "Introduction to Literary Criticism," "The American Novel: Popular Genres," "Future Perfect," and "Medicine, Literature, Culture," reflecting his interdisciplinary expertise.