Imogen Forbes-Macphail is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis, specializing in the interdisciplinary intersections of nineteenth-century British poetry and mathematical thought. Her current book project, Line and Number: Formal Problems in Nineteenth-Century Poetry and Mathematics , examines how Victorian poets and mathematicians engaged with analogous formal challenges. Victorian Poetry Caucus Representative, North American Victorian Studies Association Co-Editor (with Anna Henchman), Special Issue of Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies on women’s writing and scientific knowledge production (“Longing to Know”) Research Focus: Forbes-Macphail’s work bridges literary formalism and historical scientific methodologies, particularly exploring topics like computational proof, topological poetics, and the mysticism inherent in Victorian-era mathematical and poetic discourse. Her interdisciplinary approach highlights how mathematical concepts influenced poetic structures and vice versa. Scientific Contributions: Her publications span analyses of the Four-Color Theorem, Ada Lovelace’s literary-scientific legacy, and the gendered dynamics of 19th-century knowledge production. Key trends include the aestheticization of mathematical rigor, the role of formalism in shaping Victorian intellectual paradigms, and crossdisciplinary epistemological inquiries. Honorable Mention, “Expanding the Field” Essay Prize, Northeast Victorian Studies Association (2022) Susan Morgan Graduate Student Essay Prize, Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-Century Studies (2019) Sally Mitchell Prize, North American Victorian Studies Association (2018) Honorable Mention, Susan Morgan Graduate Student Essay Prize (2018) Sussex-Samuel Prize, Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association (2013) Forbes-Macphail’s teaching includes courses such as ENL 164: Writing Science Publications , emphasizing the synthesis of scientific and literary communication. She previously held a Junior Fellowship at the Harvard Society of Fellows (2022–25), underscoring her prominence in Victorian studies.








