David Simmons

David Simmons is a Senior Lecturer in English and Screen Studies at the University of Northampton, where he also serves as Programme Leader for Film and Screen Studies. He is affiliated with the Centre for Cultural and Literary Studies and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), with extensive teaching experience in higher education.

His research spans American popular culture, particularly in horror fiction, Gothic literature, adaptation, screen media, and class. He has published widely on authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Kurt Vonnegut, and Joseph Heller, and has authored three monographs, including American Horror Fiction and Class: From Poe to Twilight (2017). His work contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through cultural understanding and education.

His recent publications demonstrate a sustained focus on horror, class, and media, with particular attention to 20th and 21st-century American literature and screen culture. The themes of nostalgia, transmedia adaptation, and socio-political critique recur across his scholarship.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)

Editorial and Review Roles:

• Member of the Editorial Board, The Open Access Library of the Humanities
• Member of the Editorial Board, The Journal of Popular Culture
• Member of the Editorial Board, Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture
• Member of the Editorial Board, BAAS US Studies Online
• Manuscript reviewer for Palgrave Macmillan
• Contributor to Annotated Bibliography of English Studies (ABES)

Supervision and Grants:

David Simmons supervises several PhD students on diverse topics including postcolonial magical realism, Arthurian narratives in YA fiction, masculinity in the MCU, and representations of Algeria. He was part of an AHRC-funded network bid on Diaspora Screen Media Networks (2021–2022), demonstrating his involvement in collaborative, funded research.

External Roles:

• External Examiner for the MA in Popular Culture at the University of Wolverhampton (2015–2019)
• Founder member of the Kurt Vonnegut Society
• Member of the UK Network for Modern Fiction Studies