معرفی
Professor Angelique Richardson is a distinguished academic at the University of Exeter, specializing in the history of science and literature. She serves as a member of staff in the Department of English and Creative Writing and is affiliated with the Centres for Medical History and Victorian Studies. Richardson is also a research associate of Egenis, the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her work spans multiple interdisciplinary fields, connecting literary studies with historical and scientific inquiry.
Richardson earned her BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford, followed by an MA and PhD in the history of literature and science from Birkbeck, University of London. Her educational background bridges traditional literary studies with scientific history, forming the foundation for her interdisciplinary approach.
Her research interests focus on the intersection of science and literature, particularly examining the uses and misuses of scientific theories throughout history. Richardson investigates reformers and class revolutionaries from Malthus, Marx, and Mona Caird to the Russian anarchist Kropotkin. Her literary analysis spans European and Russian authors from the Brontës, Gaskell, and Eliot to Gide, Thomas Mann, Zola, and Tolstoy. She also explores contemporary issues including eugenics, racism, gender politics, Victorian studies, medical history, and digital humanities. Her work frequently addresses how historical scientific discourses continue to influence modern social and political thought.
Richardson's publications reveal a consistent focus on interdisciplinary connections between literary texts and scientific thought. Her work demonstrates how Victorian scientific theories, particularly around evolution, eugenics, and racial thinking, permeated literary culture and continue to influence contemporary debates. She examines both historical contexts and their modern manifestations, showing how scientific ideas have been weaponized for political purposes across different eras. Her scholarship bridges historical analysis with urgent contemporary concerns about racism, gender politics, and the misuse of science in public discourse.
- English Guild Teaching Award
- AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for Radio 4 documentary 'Bad Blood, The Story of Eugenics'
- Nominated for Guild Best Research Supervisor Award
- Shortlisted for the 2017 Modernist Studies Association Book Prize
Richardson has supervised 25 PhD students to successful completion and currently mentors several researchers working on diverse topics including political prisoners, eugenics in Britain and China, hunger strikes, feminist writers, censorship, and Victorian fake news. She supervises six AHRC-funded South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership PhD researchers and leads the Hardy's Correspondents project in collaboration with Dorset Museum and Exeter's Digital Humanities Lab. Her public engagement work includes contributions to BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour, BBC 1 News, and multiple documentaries. She serves as co-chair of the Hardy Country Partnership and leads its education strategy, demonstrating her commitment to connecting academic work with public understanding.
Richardson leads significant collaborative projects including the Hardy's Correspondents project at Exeter and co-supervises an AHRC DTP Collaborative Doctoral Award on Eugenics at the Royal Society 1860-1950. She has developed extensive collaborations with local government, museums, and the National Trust, reflecting her dedication to public engagement in both teaching and research. Her work bridges academic scholarship with community outreach, creating meaningful connections between university research and broader societal concerns.
