Susan Cogan

Susan Cogan is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Utah State University, part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research focuses on late medieval and early modern England, with interdisciplinary interests in architecture, religion, gender, and social networks.

Educational Background:

• PhD, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2012
• MA, Utah State University, 2001
• BA, University of Minnesota, 1999

Her research centers on the history of architecture and gardens, religious identity, and gender dynamics in early modern England, particularly among Catholic elites. She explores how kinship, gender, and spatial environments shaped social resilience and cultural continuity during periods of religious upheaval.

Her recent publications and current projects reflect a strong engagement with digital humanities and transnational history. The works trend toward interdisciplinary methodologies combining social history, environmental studies, and network analysis, especially in the context of early modern British Atlantic societies.

Research Support:

• Smithsonian Institution
• Mellon Foundation
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
• Huntington Library
• Folger Shakespeare Library

She has secured significant external funding for her research and is currently leading or co-leading multiple projects, including a digital tool for network visualization (Nanohistory.org) and an edited volume on sibling relationships. She also advises graduate students in English paleography and environmental history, though specific advisees are not named.

Research Labs and Teams:

She is developing Nanohistory.org, a digital network-visualization platform, indicating active involvement in a digital humanities research team or lab focused on historical data modeling and visualization.