Niamh Pattwell

Niamh Pattwell is Associate Professor and Head of School at the School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin. She holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and has been a faculty member at UCD since 2004, progressing from Lecturer in Old and Middle English to her current role. Her academic leadership extends to curriculum development, postgraduate teaching, and serving on university committees, including the Board of Trustees for UCD Volunteer Overseas.

Her educational background includes a BA, H.Dip.Ed., H.Dip.T.Rel.Ed., and MA from University College Cork, and a PhD from Trinity College Dublin. She taught secondary school in Co. Wexford and Co. Cork before transitioning to higher education, holding teaching fellowships at Queen’s University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin.

Niamh Pattwell's research focuses on the circulation and transmission of vernacular religious prose in the late Middle Ages. She has developed expertise in codicology, palaeography, and manuscript fragment studies, particularly through her work with Marsh's Library and the Index of Middle English Prose at Trinity College Dublin. Her scholarship explores the production, readership, and theological context of both orthodox and Wycliffite texts.

Her recent publications show a consistent focus on Middle English religious prose, manuscript provenance, and the material culture of books. She has contributed to the Year's Work in English Studies and published on fragments, personal notebooks, and devotional texts, reflecting a deep engagement with the material and spiritual dimensions of medieval manuscripts.

• National Digital Learning Resources Award (2012)
• Broad Curriculum Post-doctoral Teaching Fellow, Trinity College Dublin (2003–2004)
• Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences Postgraduate Scholarship (1999–2002)

Niamh Pattwell has successfully supervised postgraduate students to MA and PhD completion and has led curriculum innovation at UCD, including the development of research-based modules on medieval manuscript fragments. She has secured internal research grants such as the HoS Research Support Scheme and has been actively involved in organizing major academic events, including the Early Book Society Biennial Conference in 2019 and 2023. Her teaching includes modules on King Arthur, medieval literature, and animal narratives, emphasizing student engagement with primary texts.

She collaborates with institutions such as Marsh's Library and Trinity College Dublin and has contributed to public engagement through radio appearances and public lectures. Her work bridges academic research, teaching innovation, and cultural heritage preservation.