Rebecca Janicker

Dr. Rebecca Janicker is an Associate Professor in Film and Media at the University of Portsmouth, affiliated with the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries and the School of Film, Media and Creative Technologies. She has held a permanent teaching position since 2009 and serves as Course Leader for the BA Film & Television Studies program since 2011. As a PhD Supervisor, she specializes in Gothic, horror, and the "weird" in literature, film, TV, and comics.

• Education:
  • BSc (Hons) in Psychology and Philosophy, London School of Economics
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology, University of Nottingham
  • MSc in Occupational Psychology, University of Nottingham
  • MA in American Studies (Lit.), University of Nottingham
  • PhD in Popular American Gothic Fiction (in progress)

Her research focuses on horror adaptations across cinema and comic arts, with published works on authors like H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, and Stephen King. She has contributed to journals such as Extrapolation, US Studies Online, and The European Journal of American Culture, as well as edited collections like The Medial Afterlives of H. P. Lovecraft and Global TV Horror. Her 2022 book The Scientist in Popular Culture examines scientific portrayals in media.

Recent research outputs include analyses of American Horror Story, cosmic horror in Lovecraft adaptations, and the It franchise. She co-hosts the Pop Matters podcast, covering topics like science in popular culture and horror themes. While no explicit awards are listed, her editorial work and conference presentations highlight her academic influence.