Isabel Rivers

Professor Isabel Rivers is a distinguished academic specializing in eighteenth-century English literature and culture, particularly focusing on dissenting, Methodist, and evangelical literary traditions. She holds a professorial position at Queen Mary University of London's School of English and Drama and has held significant roles such as Emeritus Fellow at St Hugh's College, Oxford, and Co-Director of the Dr Williams's Centre for Dissenting Studies. Her academic journey includes positions at Columbia University, Leicester, and Oxford, where she contributed to editorial roles like the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Education:

• MA (Cambridge)
• MA and PhD (Columbia University)

Research Interests: Her work bridges literary analysis, religious history, and book culture, with key focuses on dissenting academies and evangelical publishing. Major publications include Vanity Fair and the Celestial City (2018) and the Dissenting Academies Online project.

Awards & Fellowships:

• PROSE Award Finalist (Theology & Religious Studies)
• Emeritus Fellow, St Hugh's College
• Honorary Fellow, Manchester Wesley Research Centre

Advising & Grants: Supervised successful PhD projects on dissenting academies, Methodist culture, and religious biography. Active in AHRC-funded research and academic networks.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Dissenting Academies Project and collaborates with the Queen Mary Centre for Religion and Literature in English.