Senior Research Impact and Engagement Fellow
I am a medieval and early modern historian and my PhD (Kent, 2016) was on Canterbury’s monastic culture and bestiaries (think medieval animals and fantastic beasts) and I have been researching and teaching at CCCU since 2012. My mission is to make regional medieval history more accessible and, by developing medieval green heritage, more sustainable, eco-friendly, enriching and relevant. These themes of sustainability, compassion, inclusivity and wellbeing resonate with CCCU’s Vision 2030.
My interest in medieval bestiaries and critical animal theory has led to me launching the highly successful University of Wales Press ‘Medieval Animals’ series with Dr Victoria Blud (York) with four books already published, and a dozen more in pre-publication.
This passionate knowledge about medieval animals also resulted in the National Lottery Heritage funded Medieval Animals Heritage project (£99,800 awarded), with 80 activities in two years, building a fantastic team of students, volunteers, staff and stakeholders to work with local communities, schools, and families with SEND children. We have increased engagement in this wonderful local heritage, directly reaching over 130,500 people, and increased wellbeing, achieving positive impacts on individual lives.