Catherine Keen is Professor of Dante Studies at University College London's School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS), Department of Italian. She also serves as Director of the UCL-Venice Dual Degree program, a collaborative initiative with Università Ca' Foscari Venezia offering dual BA degrees in Lettere/Italian Studies and History of Art. Her academic journey includes Lectureships at the Universities of Bristol and Leeds, and a Junior Research Fellowship at St John's College, Cambridge. University of Leeds - Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (2001) University of Cambridge - PhD in Italian Studies University of Cambridge - BA in French and Italian (1992) Professor Keen's research focuses on medieval Italian literature (1200-1400), particularly Dante's works, Petrarch's lyric poetry, and Brunetto Latini's translation activities. She explores intersections between poetic and political cultures, classical reception, vernacular traditions, and themes of exile, mourning, and spatial representation in Dante's Inferno and Vita nova. Her academic contributions span numerous publications in Dante scholarship, including monographs on Dante and the City, editorial roles for Italian Studies and Legenda series, and jury membership for the Premio Strega literary prize. She supervises PhD students on topics ranging from Angevin Italy to Bianchi devotions in late medieval Tuscany.
