Sheila Watson

Sheila Watson is a Professor of History and Museum Studies at the University of Leicester's School of Museum Studies. She joined in 2003 and has held leadership roles including Director of Flexible Learning, Director of Research, Deputy Head, and Acting Head of School. Currently, she co-leads the MA/MSc in Heritage and Interpretation and guides programme developments.

Her PhD focused on Propaganda and Morale in WWII Britain. Prior to academia, she taught in secondary schools and worked in museum education roles, including directing the Heritage Lottery Funded £4.7M 'Time and Tide: Museum of Great Yarmouth Life' project.

Research interests center on how museums use history to shape contemporary identities, emotional engagement in heritage, and community relationships with cultural institutions. Her 2021 monograph Museums and the Origins of Nations pioneered studies on national museum narratives.

Key projects include heritage partnerships in Norfolk and museum redisplay initiatives. Her work bridges practical museum management with theoretical explorations of heritage's role in identity formation.