Mary Elizabeth Leighton

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Leighton is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Victoria (UVic), Faculty of Humanities. She holds a PhD from the University of Alberta (2003) and has been teaching at UVic since 2001. Her research focuses on Victorian literature, particularly the Victorian periodical press and illustrated serial fiction. She co-authored the SSHRC-funded book *Victorian Illustrated Serial Fiction* (with Lisa Surridge), analyzing illustration in works by Dickens, Eliot, and others. Dr. Leighton is co-Managing Editor of *Victorian Review*, Canada's leading interdisciplinary Victorian Studies journal, and actively promotes academic writing through workshops and conferences.

Education: BA (Trent University), MA (University of Guelph), PhD (University of Alberta).

Research interests include Victorian material culture, collaborative scholarship, and the intersection of text and image in 19th-century media. She teaches courses such as Victorian Fiction, Practical Criticism, and Victorian Culture. A key collaborator in UVic's Victorian Research Group, she has organized conferences like 2007's *Victorian Materialities* and contributes to the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals. She mentors graduate students in archival research using UVic's extensive Victorian print collections.

Teaching emphasizes academic writing skills for professional success, with workshops on essays, conference proposals, and theses. She has pioneered publication workshops at the annual VSAWC conference since 2013.