Valentina Mele

Dr Valentina Mele is a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Leeds since 2022. She holds academic affiliations with the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, specifically within the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies. Her career includes a PhD from the University of Cambridge (2016–2020), an Mst from the University of Oxford (2016), and prior postdoctoral work at University College Cork (2020–2022).

Research interests focus on Dante reception, Duecento poetry/culture, and their influence on the Berkeley Renaissance. She specializes in medieval Italian lyric, Anglo-American modernism, and 20th-century American poetry.

Professional roles include Associate Director of the Leeds Centre for Dante Studies and Co-Director of the Centre for Dante Studies in Ireland. She actively contributes to interdisciplinary research groups such as Translation Leeds and the Centre for Dante Studies.