Howard Fuller

Howard Fuller is a Reader in War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton within the Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences, specializing in History, Politics and War Studies. He has held academic positions at the University of Wolverhampton since 2005, progressing from Senior Lecturer to Reader in War Studies in 2018, while also serving as Associate Professor of History at University of Maryland University College Europe until 2018.

• BA in History, Ohio State University (1986-1991)
• MA in War Studies, King's College London (1996-1997)
• PhD in War Studies, King's College London (1997-2004)

Fuller's research focuses on Military and Naval History, with particular expertise in the Crimean War, American Civil War, First World War, and the Russian Civil War. His work emphasizes Anglo-American 19th-century history and the British Empire, examining geopolitical developments, military and naval technology, strategy and warfare, and modern international relations and diplomacy. He has also published in the area of professional war-planning, popular wargaming, and historical simulations.

His scholarly output includes three major monographs: Clad in Iron: The American Civil War and the Challenge of British Naval Power (2007), Empire, Technology and Seapower: Royal Navy Crisis in the Age of Palmerston (2013), and Turret vs. Broadside: An Anatomy of British Naval Prestige, Revolution and Disaster, 1860-1870 (2020). His most recent work includes a chapter on U.S. Geostrategic Deterrence in the American Civil War (2024) and an article on HMS Captain (2025), reflecting his ongoing interest in naval technology and strategy. His publications demonstrate a consistent focus on the intersection of naval power, technological innovation, and geopolitical strategy.

• Rear Admiral John D. Hayes Fellow in U.S. Naval History (2002-2003)
• West Point Fellow in Military History
• Caird Research Fellow
• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
• Caird Fellowship (2017-2019)
• Scouloudi Award (2017)
• Vice Admiral Edwin B Hooper Research Grant (2017-2023)

As an educator, Fuller has led the online MA in Military History since 2012, developed numerous undergraduate and graduate modules in War Studies, and supervised multiple research degrees. He currently serves as Editor for the International Journal of Naval History and Managing Editor for the British Journal of Military History. His 'Find the Captain' Project, launched in 2021, aims to locate the wreck of HMS Captain, an experimental turret-armed ironclad that capsized in 1870 with the loss of nearly 500 lives.