Find Academic Supervisors

• Heraldry
• Medieval Diplomacy
• Pomeranian History
• +2 more

Professor Agnieszka Gut of the Institute of History at the University of Szczecin is a leading scholar in medieval Pomeranian studies, specializing in heraldry and diplomatic history. Her academic career spans three decades with significant contributions to understanding West and East Pomeranian ducal administrations, municipal heraldry, and medieval document analysis. Her educational trajectory includes a master's thesis on Stargard's coat of arms, a 2002 doctoral dissertation on West Pomeranian princely documents, and a 2015 habilitation monograph on East Pomeranian diplomacy that earned her a postdoctoral degree. Her research demonstrates exceptional depth in analyzing diplomatic formats, chancellery operations, and historical authenticity across Pomeranian regions. Gut's scholarly output reveals a consistent focus on heraldic evolution from medieval to contemporary periods, particularly examining how political ideologies—including Nazi influence—shaped municipal symbols. Her diplomatic studies meticulously reconstruct administrative structures through document analysis, establishing critical frameworks for evaluating medieval authenticity. This dual expertise positions her at the intersection of visual symbolism and institutional history in Central European contexts. Her achievements have been recognized with two major awards: the 2014 Source Studies Award distinction for her East Pomeranian diplomacy monograph and the 2006 Adam Heymowski Award distinction for her work on interwar Pomeranian heraldry. Professor Gut actively contributes to academic community building through editorial work on collective publications and involvement with student research groups like the Young Historians' Scientific Circle, fostering next-generation scholarship in historical auxiliary sciences.

Pauline MackayView profile

Professor

• Robert Burns Studies
• Scottish Literature
• Intangible Cultural Heritage
• +5 more

Professor Pauline Mackay is a leading scholar in Robert Burns Studies and Cultural Heritage at the University of Glasgow's Department of Scottish Literature within the College of Arts. She serves as Director of the Queen's Anniversary Prize-winning Centre for Robert Burns Studies, Co-Director of Realities and Immersion Glasgow (research center for immersive realities), and is a resident of the University's Advanced Research Centre. Her interdisciplinary work bridges Scottish literary studies with digital and immersive technologies, transforming traditional humanities scholarship through innovative applications. Her research spans Scottish Literature from the 15th-21st centuries with specialized expertise in Robert Burns, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Material Culture studies, and Digital Humanities. Mackay pioneered the first Robert Burns VR experience 'Burns Beyond Reality' through collaboration with Edify, and currently leads the £6.2m Innovate UK-funded 'Museums in the Metaverse' project. Her scholarship uniquely connects Burns's bawdy song tradition with contemporary cultural heritage practices, examining how immersive technologies can reshape engagement with literary legacies. Mackay's publications reveal a consistent trajectory from textual analysis of Burns's bawdy works to cutting-edge applications of XR technology in cultural heritage. Her research demonstrates sophisticated integration of literary scholarship with technological innovation, particularly in how immersive realities can transform understanding of intangible cultural practices like the Burns Supper. The interdisciplinary nature of her work spans literary criticism, digital humanities, heritage studies, and gender analysis. Queen's Anniversary Prize (as Director of Centre for Robert Burns Studies) English Association Fellows Award (2023) for XR technology applications Saltire Society '40 under 40' recognition (2023) for creative industries contributions As Co-Investigator on multiple major grants including the AHRC-funded 'Editing Robert Burns's Poetry and Correspondence' and Innovate UK's 'Museums in the Metaverse', Mackay has secured significant research funding. She supervises graduate students including Watson, John (thesis on 'Literature and the Scottish Landscape'). Her teaching portfolio includes convening 'Memorialising Scottish Culture & Literature' and developing online courses like the Robert Burns MOOC reaching global audiences. Mackay leads the Centre for Robert Burns Studies team and collaborates through Realities and Immersion Glasgow with XR Project Board colleagues, industry partners, and cultural heritage institutions. Her current research on 'Burns Supper, Intangible Cultural Heritage and Social XR' represents a pioneering effort to transform how living heritage is experienced and transmitted through immersive technologies.