Rhian Davies

Dr. Rhian Davies is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Hispanic Studies within the School of Languages, Arts and Societies at the University of Sheffield, where she has held academic positions since 1996. Currently serving as the School's Director of Postgraduate Research (2020-present), she previously held leadership roles including Head of the Department of Hispanic Studies (2013-2016) and Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching (2017-2020). Her academic journey began with a DPhil in Spanish from the University of Oxford, where she was a Laming Junior Fellow before joining Sheffield as an HEFCE/AHRB Institutional Fellow for the Galdós Editions Project.

Her research focuses on nineteenth-century Spanish literature, particularly the works of Benito Pérez Galdós, the role of journalism during the fin de siglo period, and contemporary Canarian literature. She has pioneered digital humanities approaches through the Galdós Editions Project, creating electronic scholarly editions of Galdós's Torquemada novels. Her recent work explores Canarian literary identity through authors like Miguel Aguerralde and visual artists like Sherezade Morales.

Davies has published extensively in leading journals including Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies, and Horror Studies. Her publication trends reveal a consistent focus on Galdós scholarship while increasingly incorporating Canarian cultural studies and digital humanities methodologies. Her recent articles demonstrate interdisciplinary approaches connecting literary analysis with spatial theory, gender studies, and visual culture.

She has supervised numerous doctoral students to completion, including prize-winning theses such as Inma Ridao Carlini's 'Wealth, Poverty and Social Mobility in Restoration Spain' (Peter Bly Prize winner) and Carla Almanza Gálvez's 'Utopian Narrative in 18th-century Spain' (AHGBI Publication Prize winner). Her external examination roles include Cardiff University and Swansea University.

Davies directs the Galdós Editions Project and has led multiple CILASS-funded initiatives including electronic learning packages for Torquemada en la hoguera and grammar resources for post-A-level students. She served on the QAA Benchmark Statement Review Group for Languages and Related Studies and was a member of the AHGBI Executive Committee.