Ann Heilmann is Professor of English Literature at Cardiff University, serving as Director of Research and REF coordinator for the School of English, Communication and Philosophy. Research spans Victorian to contemporary literature with focus areas in women's writing, gender/sexuality studies, and neo-Victorianism. Current work examines in/authenticity in neo-Victorian cultural productions and intersections between transgender studies and life-writing. Publications analyze feminist engagements with history, New Woman fiction, and contemporary reimaginings of Victorian cultural paradigms. Recent scholarship explores comic strategies in suffrage narratives, gender representations in life-writing, and neo-Victorian adaptations of historical figures. Heilmann has supervised 16 PhD students to completion and serves as general editor for Routledge's Gender and Genre and History of Feminism book series. Editorial board membership includes journals such as Memory Studies and Neo-Victorian Studies. Significant service includes Deputy Chair roles for REF2021 English sub-panel and co-chair for REF2029 History pilot panel, shaping national research assessment frameworks.
Professor Katharine Cockin is a leading scholar in Victorian theatre, women's suffrage history, and interdisciplinary literary studies at the University of Essex. She holds the Chair of English Literature in the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies (LiFTS). Her research focuses on Ellen Terry and Edith Craig, pioneering figures in theatre and suffrage activism, with major publications including Edith Craig and the Theatres of Art (2017) and the Collected Letters of Ellen Terry (8 vols., 2010–). She leads the AHRC-funded Searching for Theatrical Ancestors and Ellen Terry and Edith Craig Database projects, recognized nationally for their impact on cultural heritage. Education: BA, MA, and PhD in English Literature from the University of Leicester. Her doctoral thesis examined the Pioneer Players theatre society (1911–25). She previously held professorial roles at the University of Hull, where she established interdisciplinary programs in literature and law. Research interests include archival studies, women's suffrage literature, modern literature, and the 'Literary North'. She advises on topics like science fiction and autobiography. Awards include a Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and AHRC Peer Review College membership. Administrative roles at Essex include Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Literary Studies and former Director of Research for LiFTS. Publications span over 50 articles and edited volumes, emphasizing feminist historiography and cultural preservation. Her work bridges academia and public engagement through digital archives and collaborative projects.
Hatoon Alfassi is an Honorary Research Fellow in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Manchester. A Saudi historian specialized in pre-Islamic Arabian history and women's studies, she previously held positions at King Saud University and Qatar University. Alfassi earned her PhD from the University of Manchester focusing on women and power in ancient Nabataea. Her research examines women's historical agency in ancient Arabian societies, Islamic feminism, and contemporary gender rights in Saudi Arabia. She pioneered studies of Nabataean women through epigraphic analysis and comparative methodology. Current work analyzes intersections between religious interpretation, legal frameworks, and women's citizenship rights in Gulf societies. Alfassi received the MESA Academic Freedom Award (2018) and French National Order of Merit (2012). Her publications in Arabic and English include five books and numerous articles analyzing gender dynamics from antiquity to modern reforms. She maintains an active public intellectual presence through decades of newspaper columns addressing women's rights.
Professor Sos Eltis is a Fellow and Tutorial Fellow in English at Brasenose College, University of Oxford. He has held significant academic roles, including English Faculty Chair (2007–2010, 2014–2015) and Academic Co-ordinator for the Humanitas Professorship of Drama. His teaching focuses on Victorian, modern, and contemporary literature, with a special interest in drama and performance studies. Education: M.A., M.Phil., D.Phil. (Oxford). Research Interests: Victorian and Edwardian performance, Oscar Wilde, gender and sexuality in theatre, women’s suffrage, and the intersection of theatre with politics and social movements. His current project, Ingenious Theatres , explores Victorian performance through the lens of contemporary theatre scholarship, examining themes like democracy, technology, labour, and gender binaries. Professional Affiliations: Member of Oxford University Dramatic Society, Oxford Playhouse Board, and convenor of the Drama in Performance seminar series. Publications: Author of Revising Wilde (1996), Acts of Desire (2013), and editor of George Bernard Shaw’s works (2021). Recent articles span topics like suffrage writing, decadence in theatre, and Beckett’s direction. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary critical frameworks.
Professor Senia Paseta is a Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford, affiliated with St Hugh's College. Her research focuses on political history in modern Ireland and Britain, with a specialization in feminist movements, education, and political activism. She has authored influential works on Irish nationalist women and co-edited volumes on Irish historiography. Professor Paseta co-directs the Oxford Martin Programme on Women's Equality and Inequality and leads the project Education and Activism: Women at Oxford, 1878–1920 . Her current research explores unionism, socialism, and women’s suffrage in Ireland and Britain. She supervises DPhil students in Comparative British and Irish History and Modern Irish Political/Social History. Her teaching includes modules on British and Irish history from 1815 to the present, nationalism in Ireland, and women’s life writing. She frequently contributes to media discussions on historical topics, including a BBC feature on suffrage-related board games. Professor Paseta’s work highlights transnational connections between Irish and British radical politics, particularly regarding women’s suffrage movements. She is actively engaged in fostering academic dialogue through her editorial roles and public outreach initiatives.
Professor Toke Aidt is a Professor of Economics and Politics at the Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge, with a distinguished career focused on Public Choice, Political Economics, and the interplay between historical and contemporary policy. His research spans democratization, corruption, political business cycles, and environmental policy, often integrating historical data with modern economic theory. Ph.D., University of Aarhus (1998) Director of Studies in Economics at Jesus College since 1998 Editor, European Journal of Political Economy (2014-2023) Past-President, European Public Choice Society (2013-15) Current member, Syndicate of Cambridge University Press His research connects empirical historical analysis with theoretical frameworks to study institutional development, corruption, and policy effectiveness. Recent projects include a £1 million grant on sanitation and health, and work on political consequences of debt relief. Articles highlight his expertise in democratization processes, environmental policy under foreign influence, and the role of historical events in shaping modern institutions. Key trends include interdisciplinary analysis of political behavior, corruption mechanisms, and fiscal policy dynamics. Scientific Awards: Wicksell Prize (1999) Pilkington Prize for Teaching Excellence (2007) Best Paper Award (2023) He has supervised numerous Ph.D. students, including Laura Araújo De Freitas (Development Economics), Carles Vila Martínez (Media Economics), and Qianya Xu (Empirical Microeconomics). His teaching includes modules on political economy, public policy, and microeconomics.
Laura Schwartz is a Reader in Modern British History at the University of Warwick, specializing in feminist movements, labour history, and class analysis. She holds a PhD from the University of East London (2008) and has held academic positions at Warwick since 2005. Her research explores intersections of feminism, class, imperialism, and secularism, with a focus on domestic labour, suffrage movements, and post-Brexit working-class identities. Key publications include Feminism and the Servant Problem (2019), Infidel Feminism (2013), and A Serious Endeavour (2011). She leads the 'Writing Labour History in Brexit Britain' network, challenging traditional narratives of the British working class by emphasizing multi-racial, gendered, and cosmopolitan histories. Awards include the Claire Evans Essay Prize (2008) and a Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2024-2025) for her project Queer as Folk: Proletarian Countercultures in Britain, 1780-1939 . Teaching includes modules on gender history, feminist politics, and British political history. Supervised over 10 PhD students focusing on topics like queer histories, labour movements, and suffrage activism. She actively engages with public history through podcasts, symposia, and collaborations with museums.
Aoife O'Donoghue is a Professor at the School of Law, Queen's University Belfast, where she conducts cutting-edge research at the intersection of international law, feminist theory, and constitutionalism. She is actively engaged in several major research initiatives including the Feminist Constitutional Futures Project (FemCon), the Northern/Ireland Feminist Constitutions Project which she co-directs, and the Doing Feminist Legal Work network funded by the Irish Research Council. Prior to her position at Queen's, she spent 15 years at Durham University Law School and previously worked at NUI Galway. Professor O'Donoghue's research critically examines how legal structures enable or prevent states, institutions, and individuals from acting, with a focus on tyranny, utopias, feminist legal drafting, Brexit's impact, and international economic law. Her work brings together differing governance sites (international, regional, domestic, bodily) and critical forms of analysis (constitutionalism, feminism, legal theory, legal history, law and humanities) to ask fundamental questions about legal orders. She has published two major monographs: "Constitutionalism in Global Constitutionalisation" (CUP, 2014) and "On Tyranny and the Global Legal Order" (CUP, 2021), with ongoing work exploring feminist tyrannicide. Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on feminist constitutional futures, utopian thinking in law, and critical examinations of tyranny within global legal frameworks. O'Donoghue's scholarship increasingly integrates law with literature, art, and humanities, particularly through feminist utopian fiction. Her work on Brexit's implications for Northern Ireland and Ireland demonstrates her commitment to addressing contemporary political challenges through a feminist legal lens. The interdisciplinary nature of her research connects international law with constitutional theory, feminist thought, and historical analysis. Professor O'Donoghue is actively involved in mentoring and academic leadership. She co-leads the British Irish Chapter of ICON*S Research Focus and serves as a supervisor for PhD students at Queen's University Belfast. Her research has been supported by significant funding including the Irish Research Council Shared Island grant for the Doing Feminist Legal Work network, which she co-directs with Maebh Harding at UCD. She has also led AHRC-funded projects including the UN Gender Network project. She is a prominent member of several research communities including the Northern/Ireland Feminist Constitutions Project, the Feminist Constitutional Futures Project, and the Doing Feminist Legal Work network. Her work extends beyond traditional academic boundaries through podcast appearances, media commentary, and public engagement on issues including women's rights, constitutional futures, and the implications of global political developments.
Katy Birch is a Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century Literature at the Department of English & Creative Writing, Aberystwyth University. Her research specializes in Victorian women's writing, particularly poetry, and editorial practices in periodicals like Punch magazine. PhD thesis examined feminist poets' use of Darwinian evolutionary imagery Currently developing a monograph on female contributors to Punch magazine Teaches undergraduate modules on Romantic and Victorian literature including The Mark of the Beast , Nineteenth-Century Literature , and Creative Practice Research Focus: Victorian women's writing, feminist poetry, Punch magazine contributions, and evolutionary theory intersections with literature. Her work contributes to understanding gender representation in historical periodicals and stereotype subversion. Publications: Recent works analyze New Woman writers' strategies in Punch , interspecies hierarchies in May Kendall's poetry, and deconstruct 'ugly suffragette' stereotypes. All publications demonstrate her expertise in combining literary analysis with feminist theory. Academic Engagement: Active in organizing periodical studies events and serving on the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals' digital committee.
Professor Diane Urquhart is a leading gender historian at Queen's University Belfast's School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics. Her research focuses on modern Ireland's gender and women's history, particularly legal reforms around abortion, divorce, and political activism. She holds prestigious roles including Royal Irish Academy membership, Royal Historical Society fellowship, and leadership positions in the Women's History Association of Ireland (WHAI). Her landmark work Irish Divorce: A History (2020) won the 2021 ACIS Donnelly Prize. Supervised PhD topics include equal employment in Ireland/UK, kinship in the Irish Revolution, and suffrage movements. Active in interdisciplinary collaborations, she co-authored The Irish Abortion Journey (2019) and edits Women's History Review . Research interests span gendered political movements, legal history, and biography. Recent publications analyze abortion narratives in Ireland, Unionist women's roles in Antrim, and Parnell sisters' activism. Awards include AHRC peer review roles and international examining appointments.
Rachel Foster is an Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Education with extensive secondary teaching experience. She holds an MA in History from Cambridge, PGCE from Cambridge, and MEd in Researching Practice. As Managing Editor of Teaching History and honorary fellow of the Historical Association, she influences national history education through curriculum development and policy advising. Her research focuses on innovative history pedagogy, curriculum design, and historical thinking. She develops frameworks for teaching complex historical concepts and advocates for inclusive representations of non-European history. Her work emphasizes argumentation skills, evidence evaluation, and meaningful connections between local and global histories. Publications consistently address pedagogical innovation, including textbook authorship for Hodder Education and curriculum resources for primary education. Recent works focus on medieval African history integration, biographical teaching approaches, and GCSE curriculum reforms. The research demonstrates commitment to advancing historical literacy and critical thinking. She teaches Secondary PGCE History, MEd Transforming Practice, and MSt Advanced Studies. As DfE Model History Curriculum advisor, she shapes national standards. Consulting roles include examination boards, education publishers, and international workshops for ECIS and Schools History Project Conference.
Dr. Nicola Allen is a Senior Lecturer in English at the Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences, University of Wolverhampton, with a research focus on twentieth-century and contemporary British fiction. She completed her PhD at Birmingham City University (2003-2006) and previously held a Lecturer position at the University of Northampton (2015-2016). Education: PhD in English from Birmingham City University Research: Twentieth-century British fiction, Nina Boyle's post-suffrage writing, gender studies, and popular culture Teaching: Specializes in twentieth-century fiction and culture, including modules like 'Bigger Than the Beatles: The Power of Popular Culture' Grants: Recipient of an Arts and Humanities Research Council grant (2015) for political novels research Publications: Authored and edited works on modernist and contemporary British literature, including Reassessing the Twentieth-Century Canon and Life on Mars analysis Professional Activities: Peer reviewer for Contemporary Women's Writing (2019)
Dr. Wendy Toon is a Senior Lecturer in American History at the University of Worcester, affiliated with the Institute of Arts and Humanities and the Department of History, Politics and Sociology. She previously held roles at Staffordshire University and Keele University, and was a Royal Historical Society Fellow (Peter Marshall Fellowship) at the Institute of Historical Research. Her work focuses on modern U.S. history, particularly WWII propaganda, sports history, and women’s roles in war. Her research explores themes like American constructions of enemies during WWII, the cultural impact of sports, and women’s activism. She is currently writing a book on American depictions of German and Japanese adversaries during WWII (Routledge, forthcoming). Recent research includes a conference and exhibition on pro- and anti-war voices, combining oral histories and archival research. Awards: Royal Historical Society Peter Marshall Fellowship. Grants: Supported by institutions including the Rockefeller Foundation, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, and the Truman Library Institute. Dr. Toon has supervised numerous research students, including studies on Japanese American incarceration, WWII antiwar groups, and media portrayals of family life. She organized the Women’s History Network Midlands conferences (2010–2021) on topics like military women, suffrage, and sports, and co-chaired the 2024 Worcestershire Historical Society conference on local history.
Paola Zichi is a Research Fellow at the School of Law, University of Warwick, United Kingdom, specializing in the intersection of gender politics, international legal frameworks, and historical analysis with regional focus on Israel/Palestine and the Middle East. Her core research interests include: Gender and International Law Feminist Approaches to International Law International Legal History Israel/Palestine and the Middle East Criminal Justice and Criminology Socio-Legal Studies Women’s International Law Global Governance Her current project Feminist Lawyering and International Law: Women Jurists in European Legal History (1899-1949) reconstructs transnational feminist activism through archival analysis of suffrage, nationality rights, sexual/child abuse, prostitution/trafficking, and women police initiatives. By examining five pioneering women jurists' lives alongside institutional records from international organizations, diaries, and movement histories, this work establishes a critical pre-history of gender legal reform preceding modern conventions. Scientific awards: No awards, fellowships, or medals are referenced in the source material. Regarding academic supervision and funding, Zichi leads her named research project involving extensive archival methodology but no student advisees or grant details are disclosed. The absence of laboratory or team descriptions suggests independent scholarly work centered on historical document analysis rather than experimental or collaborative research structures.
Dr. Charles des Portes is a Teaching Professor in Political Theory at the University of Leeds' School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), affiliated with the Centre for Contemporary Political Theory. His research focuses on decolonial thought, continental philosophy, and the intersection of political concepts with colonial legacies. Key interests include racial capitalism, critical philosophy of race, and the phenomenological work of Hannah Arendt and Frantz Fanon. Education: PhD in Political Theory (University of Leeds). Research Interests: Dr. des Portes critically examines how colonial structures permeate political theory. His work rethinks concepts like freedom through decolonial lenses and develops an existential political theory prioritizing marginalized perspectives. Current projects explore racial capitalism beyond binary debates of necessity/contingency. Publications Trends: His articles (2022-2024) emphasize decolonizing methodologies, reinterpreting Arendt's phenomenology, and theorizing political existence from non-Western frameworks. Recent outputs include "Towards a decolonial political theory" in Philosophy and Social Criticism and "Darkening political theory" in Ethnic and Racial Studies. Advising/Grants: No formal advising relationships or grants listed in available texts. His research is primarily theoretical and conceptual. Labs/Teams: Active member of the Centre for Contemporary Political Theory, contributing to interdisciplinary dialogues on critical theory and decolonial studies.
