Contact
Biography
I joined the Department of History at the University of Nottingham in September 2013 having previously held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Leicester (2010-2013). I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Research
I am currently completing a book on letter writing in early medieval Northumbria called Northumbrian Letters in the Age of Bede. This project is funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (2023-24).
My research on the Northumbrian monk and scholar Bede (c.673-735) has generated several publications including a monograph Bede and the end of time (Ashgate 2013), a volume of essays (co-edited with Faith Wallis) on the theme Bede and the future (Ashgate 2014), and another collection (with Máirín MacCarron) called Bede the scholar (Manchester University Press 2023).
I am also very interested in medieval manuscripts, especially the Codex Amiatinus, an illuminated single-volume Bible completed in or before the year 716. This important artefact is the earliest full witness to Jerome's Vulgate translation of the Scriptures into Latin. A series of recent articles have examined some of the images preserved in the Codex in light of key works of exegesis by the Church Fathers (see 'publications' tab for full details).
With colleagues at Nottingham, I co-founded the Medieval Heresy and Dissent Research Network, which hosted an international conference in 2018. I am also an editor for the Brepols book series Medieval Church Studies, and an editorial board member for the journal Nottingham Medieval Studies. I organised conference sessions on the Age of Bede at the annual International Medieval Congress in Leeds from 2011 to 2020.
Teaching
I undertake a variety of teaching responsibilities for the department. I convene a module which explores the history of Apocalyptic thought from the biblical era to the present day, and I also run courses which examine early-medieval Britain during the period of its conversion to Christianity. I have served tenures as Director of Teaching and Lead Exams Officer for the Department of History. I hold teaching qualifications in Higher and Secondary Education.
At postgraduate level I contribute to team taught courses for the MA Programme in History, including a module on Palaeography. I am an experienced PhD supervisor who has guided six students to successful completion, five of whom were on funded scholarships. I would welcome enquiries about doctoral research supervision in any area broadly connected to my research interests.
Selected Publications