معرفی
Simeon Koole is a Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and History at the University of Bristol, affiliated with the Department of History (Historical Studies), Migration Mobilities Bristol, and the Cabot Institute for the Environment. His office is located in room 1.H026 of the School of Humanities Building.
Dr. Koole completed his BA at the University of Oxford, MPhil at the University of Cambridge, and DPhil back at Oxford in 2017. His academic journey includes prestigious fellowships as a William Alexander Fleet Fellow at Princeton University (2013-14), Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University (2019), and Remarque Institute Fellow at New York University (2023). He is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
His research focuses on nineteenth- and twentieth-century British history with global entanglements, specializing in the history of the senses (particularly touch), sexuality, and urban environments. Working at the intersection of queer studies, history of science, phenomenology, and global history, Koole examines how embodied experiences shape broader conceptual frameworks. His acclaimed book Intimate Subjects: Touch and Tangibility in Britain's Cerebral Age (2024) explores transformations in tactile experience, while his current project Within Worlds investigates London's docklands communities and their relationship to global connections.
Koole's publications reveal a consistent engagement with sensory history, urban transformations, and global connections across nineteenth and twentieth-century Britain. His work bridges historical scholarship with creative outputs, including the award-winning film Sunless Haven (2024), demonstrating innovative approaches to historical storytelling that connect past and present precariousness in urban environments.
- AHRC Research, Development, and Engagement Grant (2021)
- Caird Research Fellowship (2019)
- International Strategic Fund (2019)
Dr. Koole leads significant research collaborations, including the AHRC-funded Within Worlds project (2022-2023) which partnered with filmmaker George Clark and architect studio Witherford Watson Mann. He actively supervises PhD students on topics related to senses, gender and sexuality, history of science, urban history, and disability within nineteenth- and twentieth-century British contexts. His teaching spans both History Department and Liberal Arts programs at Bristol, where he has developed innovative courses examining global histories, disease and disability, and urban experiences.
Based in Bristol's School of Humanities, Koole is deeply engaged with interdisciplinary research networks including Migration Mobilities Bristol and the Cabot Institute for the Environment. His collaborative projects, such as the film Sunless Haven and architectural partnerships with Witherford Watson Mann, demonstrate his commitment to connecting historical scholarship with creative and practical applications that address contemporary urban challenges.
