معرفی
Sebastian "Bas" Groes is Professor of English Literature and Director of the Centre for Transnational and Transcultural Research at the University of Wolverhampton's Faculty of Arts, Business, and Social Sciences. With over 15 years of academic experience across multiple UK institutions, he specializes in contemporary literature, memory studies, and digital humanities, leading several major research initiatives that bridge academic scholarship with public engagement and community impact.
Education:
- PhD in English Literature, University of East Anglia (2006)
Professor Groes's research explores how memory functions in the digital age, the evolution of contemporary literature, and the relationship between brain health and creative expression. His work investigates the intersections of literature with neuroscience, digital technology, and social inclusion, particularly through his leadership of The Memory Network (funded by AHRC and Wellcome Trust) and Novel Perceptions (AHRC-funded) projects which examine memory in digital contexts and inclusivity in the literary canon. His stroke memoir Right in the Head (2023) and edited collection Writing Under Fire (2024) demonstrate his commitment to connecting personal experience with broader cultural narratives.
His publication portfolio reveals an evolution from urban literary representations in The Making of London (2011) to contemporary memory studies and digital inequality. Recent work shows increasing focus on trauma narratives, stroke recovery, and cross-cultural dialogue, particularly through Ukraine-related projects. His innovative approach includes virtual reality applications for literary studies and computational analysis of authorial styles, positioning his work at the cutting edge of digital humanities.
Research Leadership:
- Director, Centre for Transnational and Transcultural Research
- Lead, The Memory Network (AHRC/Wellcome Trust funded)
- Lead, Novel Perceptions (AHRC funded)
- Lead, Big Bookshare (Arts Council funded)
- Lead, UN/REAL: Anglo-Japanese Perspectives on Digital Inequality (Daiwa Foundation)
- Lead, Write in the Head (Arts Council funded)
Professor Groes actively supervises PhD students, with recent successful completions including Lily's work on non-conscious cognition in contemporary British fiction. His research has secured significant funding from AHRC, Wellcome Trust, Arts Council England, and Daiwa Foundation, supporting projects that connect academic research with community engagement, particularly in stroke recovery programs and prison reading initiatives as documented by the UK Parliamentary Committee on Prison Culture. He has also collaborated with BBC Arts on the "Novels That Shaped Our World" engagement project and continues to publish in prominent outlets including The Guardian, The Londonist, and BBC News.
He leads the Wolverhampton English Literature team in innovative digital humanities work, including virtual reality applications for literary studies where students create 3D spatialized essays, making the program one of the most technologically advanced in the UK as noted by BBC coverage of their VR experiments.
