Barri Joyce Gold

Barri Joyce Gold is a Professor of Practice in English and Inaugural Senior Fellow in the Environmental Innovations Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on 19th-Century British literature, Literature and Science, and Ecocriticism, with a particular interest in Victorian energy concepts and ecological discourse. She holds a background in Physics, which informs her interdisciplinary approach to analyzing how literature interacts with scientific ideas.

Gold’s work explores themes such as thermodynamics in Victorian texts and the role of literature in shaping ecological consciousness. Her book Energy, Ecocriticism, and Nineteenth-Century Fiction: Novel Ecologies (2021) won the 2021 BSLS Book Prize. She teaches courses on Victorian literature, science fiction, and ecocritical theory, including titles like Victorian Nightmares and The Death of the Sun: Energy, Evolution & Ecology in Victorian Fiction.

Her research bridges literature, science, and environmental humanities, emphasizing how narratives shape humanity’s relationship with nature. Gold actively participates in the Environmental Innovations Initiative, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on ecological challenges.