Neill Matheson

Neill Matheson is an Associate Professor in the English Department at The University of Texas at Arlington's College of Liberal Arts, where he has served since 2003 (promoted to Associate Professor in 2010). His academic journey includes prior appointments at Michigan State University and the University of South Alabama.

• PhD in English and American Literature, Johns Hopkins University (1995)
• MA in English and American Literature, Johns Hopkins University (1987)
• BA in English, Reed College (1983)

Matheson's research spans 19th-century American literature with particular focus on ecocritical and queer theoretical approaches to canonical figures like Thoreau, Melville, and Hawthorne. His scholarship interrogates intersections of race, animal studies, and environmental thought, frequently examining how literary texts negotiate species boundaries and ecological consciousness. Recent work explores biophilia in Blackwood, Melville's cetology, and Lovecraft's xenophilic ecologies.

Analysis of his publication trajectory reveals consistent engagement with environmental humanities since the 1990s, evolving from early psychoanalytic readings of Melville to contemporary queer ecocritical frameworks. His work demonstrates methodological range across intellectual history, affect theory, and transnational studies, with recurring attention to how 19th-century American literature conceptualizes nonhuman agency.

Matheson actively mentors graduate students as Dissertation Committee Chair for numerous PhD candidates and serves extensively on departmental and college committees, including leadership roles in the College of Liberal Arts Environment and Sustainability initiatives.

His teaching portfolio includes graduate seminars on American literature pre-1900, literature and environment, and senior capstone courses, alongside undergraduate instruction in film analysis and dynamic literary traditions. Matheson maintains active scholarly engagement through conference presentations at major venues including MLA, ALA, and ASLE.