Timothy Bourns

Timothy Bourns is an Assistant Professor of Old Norse in the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington. His research focuses on Old Norse-Icelandic, Old and Middle English, and Greenlandic literatures, with interdisciplinary interests in medievalism, fantasy, animal studies, ecocriticism, sustainability, emotions, dreams, and mythological traditions. He has held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Iceland, University of British Columbia, and a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at University College London.

Education:

• DPhil in English (Old Norse), St John's College, University of Oxford
• MA in Medieval Icelandic Studies, University of Iceland
• BASc in Arts & Science Program, McMaster University

Research Interests: Bourns explores intersections between environmental humanities, emotion studies, and medieval literature. His work analyzes premodern texts through lenses of ecocriticism and postcolonial theory, with a focus on how narratives of animals, objects, and landscapes shape cultural memory. Recent projects examine Icelandic sagas' portrayals of climate change and emotional labor in medieval societies.

Awards:

• Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (UCL, 2019–2022)

Advising & Grants: While specific grants are not detailed, his fellowships indicate sustained support for interdisciplinary medieval studies research. No advisees are listed in the provided materials.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the University of Washington's Scandinavian Studies program, which offers specialized courses in Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, and Swedish studies.