English Department Members

Many members of the University of Liverpool work on topics related to Literature & Science. The following members of the Department of English contribute to the Literature and Science Hub Research Centre:

A photo of Dr Daniel Ibrahim Abdalla

Daniel Abdalla, William Noble Research Fellow in English Literature

Daniel's work is interested in literature from the 19th and 20th centuries, especially as it relates to science. He is currently working on his first monograph, which traces the significance of scientific theories of heredity to neglected works by four prominent writers: Henry James, Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Robins, and W.E.B. Du Bois. He is currently working on other projects related to modern drama and alternative Arctic explorers.


Dr Mary Chapman

Mary Chapman, Alan F Price Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow

Mary's research focuses on nineteenth-century literature and medicine. She is interested in how writing shaped the development of medical practice during this period, in particular the periodical press. Her work centres on women in medicine, as both practitioners and patients. Mary's PhD thesis investigated how different genres of writing influenced the formation of psychiatric theories about the female mind, and her current research examines the periodical writing of female doctors at the turn of the twentieth century.


A photo of Lucienne Loh

Lucienne Loh, Reader in English Literature

Lucienne's research is based on the intersection between literary representations of racism and creative health, especially ways in which creativity can be used to combat racism and to provide a space for ethnic resilience. Lucienne is the faculty lead for a new collaboration with NHS R&D North West on a seminar series called "The Provocation Series" which seeks to bring HSS research to NHS researchers and clinicians. She is also working on the policy implications of the series with the Heseltine Institute.


A photo of Professor Greg Lynall

Greg Lynall, King Alfred Chair in English Literature and Head of Department

Greg's main field of research interest is the relationship between literature, science and technology, particularly in the eighteenth century. His most recent book was Imagining Solar Energy, and his current projects are on Swift, science and colonialism, and eighteenth-century poetry and science.

 


A photo of Dr Sam Solnick

Samuel Solnick, Senior Lecturer in English Literature

Sam's work in Literature and Science primarily revolves around the emergent, interdisciplinary field of the Environmental Humanities. Current projects and interests include: the aesthetics of climate change across literature, performance and visual art; energy humanities (particularly ‘petro-culture’); Merseyside Environments; eco-apocalypse; biology, technology and the posthuman; and the intersections of health and ecology. You can read more about his work and publications on his main departmental webpage.


An illustration from a medieval book

Gillian (Jill) Rudd, Professor of English Literature

Gillian Rudd is a member of the English Department at the University of Liverpool, where, amongst other things, she teaches medieval literature and children’s literature. Her publications include Greenery: Ecocritical Readings of Late Medieval English Literature (MUP, 2007); various articles and chapters on mice, clouds, flowers, plants and pieces on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Secret Garden. In the past she has also written on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short stories, but currently she is pondering ponds and the resilience of flowers.


Members from Other Departments

The Research Centre also includes the following members from other departments:

A photo of Liam Lewis

Lewis Liam, Lecturer in French

Liam's work focuses on medieval French literature and culture, and the Environmental Humanities. He writes about pre-modern concepts of nature and the environment, in particular animal sound and translation; medieval ecology and ethics, and imperialism and pollution.


A photo of Hannah Little

Hannah Little, Lecturer in Communication and Media

Hannah's research looks at how cognitive aspects of storytelling can effectively be used to communicate science. As well as her work in science communication, she is writing a book about how science fiction has influenced linguistic science over the years, and how speculative fiction can be used as a research tool that gives us access to outsider perspectives. She has given workshops, talks, and interviews (and even stand-up comedy sets!) on science fiction and linguistics at various venues including the British Science Festival, TEDx, and BBC Radio 4. Together with Seán G. Roberts, she runs workshops and competitions for science fiction authors writing about evolutionary linguistics.


A photo of Dr Vid Simoniti

Vid Simoniti, Lecturer in Philosophy

Vid runs the MA Art, Philosophy and Cultural Institutions. His work is at the crossroads of aesthetics and political philosophy. Among other topics, he has published essays on artists' experiments with bio-technology, and has set on several bio-art juries. He is a BBC New Generation Thinker 2021 and tweets @vidsimonit


Professor Georgina Endfield

Georgina Endfield, Professor of Environmental History and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Impact for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Georgina's research focuses on environmental history, and specifically on climatic history and historical climatology, on human responses to unusual or extreme weather events, conceptualisations of climate variability in historical perspective and the links between climate and the healthiness of place. Much of Georgina's work has been concerned with colonial Mexico and nineteenth century Africa though for the past few years she has been working on various projects that focus on British climate history. She is curious to explore reasons behind the apparent British 'obsession' with the weather. As part of AHRC-funded research projects, she has co-curated exhibitions and also worked with poet and playwright Matt Black on the production of a play, The Storm Officer, which was inspired by some of her work on historical extreme and unusual weather in the UK.


PhD and PGR students

Alice Burns

Alice Burns

I am an AHRC-funded researcher in the department of English at the University of Liverpool, looking at the relationship between land and literature. My research focuses on the lesser-known writings of Anne Lister and Beatrix Heelis to understand their approaches to land management, examining the tension between investments in rural industry, balanced with concerns for the environment and the question of conservationism. Working collaboratively with the West Yorkshire Archive Service and the National Trust to undertake archival research, I also work part-time in publishing at Liverpool University Press, specialising in marketing for the Literature, Culture and Religious Studies Journals.