Nicola Verdon

Nicola Verdon is a Professor of Modern British History at the University of Sheffield Hallam, affiliated with the Department of Humanities within the College of Social Sciences and Arts. She specializes in 19th and 20th century British history, with a focus on gender and labor, rural society, poverty, and standards of living. Her academic journey includes roles at institutions such as the University of Sussex and the University of Reading before joining Sheffield Hallam in 2011 as a Reader, later promoted to Professor in 2018.

Dr. Verdon’s research explores themes like rural labor dynamics, women’s work in agriculture, and family life on farms. She has authored influential books like Working the Land: A History of the Farmworker in England (2017) and contributed to academic journals such as History and Twentieth Century British History. Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, including partnerships with museums, theaters, and media to engage broader audiences. She has also contributed an impact case-study on ‘Life and Labour in the British Countryside’ to the 2014 REF.

Her teaching portfolio includes courses on economic and social change in modern Britain, regional identities in the North of England, and advanced research projects. She supervises postgraduate students on topics ranging from interwar labor movements to environmental histories of industrial villages. Recent publications reflect her continued engagement with WWI agricultural mobilization, Victorian labor hierarchies, and transnational rural labor narratives.

Dr. Verdon currently serves as an external examiner for history programs at the University of Reading and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education. Her research leadership roles include contributions to the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam, where she co-authored evaluations of First World War Centenary Heritage Lottery Fund activities.