Sinead O'Sullivan

Sinead O'Sullivan is a Professor of Early Medieval Intellectual History at Queen’s University Belfast, affiliated with the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics. Her research focuses on early medieval glosses, Carolingian textual culture, and the transmission of classical knowledge in the Latin West. She holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford and has held prestigious fellowships including the AHRC Leadership Fellowship (2020–2021) and a Leverhulme International Fellowship (2017).

Her research interests span gloss studies, manuscript annotation practices, and the reception of Late Antique authors such as Martianus Capella and Prudentius. She has published extensively, including monographs like Early medieval glosses on Prudentius’ Psychomachia: The Weitz tradition (2004) and Glossae aevi Carolini in libros I-II Martiani Capellae (2010). Current projects explore annotations in Virgil and Psalms manuscripts to trace medieval imperial imaginaries.

Dr. O’Sullivan teaches modules on Carolingian Europe, medieval expansion, and Roman origins. She has organized international conferences, serves as Associate Editor of The Journal of Medieval Latin, and contributed to digital projects like the Martianus gloss edition. Her work bridges textual criticism, manuscript studies, and interdisciplinary approaches to medieval knowledge production.

• Education: BA, MA (National University of Ireland), DPhil (University of Oxford)
• Awards: Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, AHRC and Leverhulme Fellowships, Rhodes Scholarship
• Grants: AHRC Leadership Fellowship, Leverhulme International Fellowship
• Exhibitions: 'Ciphers, Codes and Notes: Crafting Knowledge in the Medieval and Modern Worlds' (McClay Library, 2022)