I am a Professor of Early Modern Literature and Culture in the Faculty of English and a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College. I was a student and a Research Fellow in Cambridge and have spent my career here, save for six years (1998-2004) when I was a lecturer in the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York. I co-founded, and for the last nine years have directed, the Centre for Material Texts (http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/cmt/), which brings together the University’s research and library communities to explore the relationship between texts and media in history. In this role I have organised five international conferences and have collaborated with colleagues across a range of disciplines.
I believe that the University Council should have a strong representation from academics who are engaged in the day-to-day business of teaching and research, and who will guide the University as a University rather than as a business or a corporation. My interests on Council include increasing the transparency and accountability of the University’s democratic structures; seeking official recognition for the University and Colleges Union; and strengthening Cambridge’s contribution to the problems of social inequity and climate crisis.