Katherina Manolessou

Katherina Manolessou serves as Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University's Cambridge School of Art, teaching the MA in Children's Book Illustration while leading the Major Project module and supervising PhD candidates. Her academic work operates within the Centre for Children's Book Studies and We CARE research clusters, building on prior lecturing roles at University of Westminster and Camberwell College of Arts.

Her educational trajectory spans scientific and artistic disciplines:

• PhD in Practice-Based Research on animal characterisation in children's picturebooks (Anglia Ruskin University, 2012)
• MA Communication Art and Design (Royal College of Art, 2002)
• BA (Hons) Illustration (Kingston University, 2000)
• BSc Chemistry (University of Patras, Greece, 1995)

Manolessou's research interrogates illustration practice in children's picturebooks through visual communication strategies, character design methodologies, and inclusive representation frameworks. She pioneers investigations into neurodiversity and mental health portrayals, examining how illustrators construct authentic visual narratives for diverse audiences through practice-based approaches that bridge academic research and creative production.

Her publication portfolio demonstrates dual scholarly and creative excellence, with academic papers analyzing book materiality and spatial representation complementing internationally distributed picturebooks addressing environmental awareness, family dynamics, and nutritional education. This integrated output reveals consistent thematic focus on character-driven visual storytelling and innovative book design principles across both research articles and commercial publications.

Professional recognition includes:

• Higher Education Academy Fellow (2013)

Manolessou maintains an active PhD supervision portfolio spanning cross-cultural bereavement narratives, epistolary storytelling formats, and non-fiction visual communication strategies, with multiple candidates submitting in 2025. Her mentorship extends to examining vivas internationally while securing institutional research support through ARU's specialized clusters without explicit grant documentation.

As core faculty within the Centre for Children's Book Studies, she contributes to ARU's internationally recognized illustration research ecosystem through collaborative projects, conference leadership, and integration of professional practice with academic inquiry across European institutions.