Thea Buckley is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, mentored by Professor Mark Thornton Burnett, working on the research project 'South Indian Shakespeares: Reimagining Art Forms and Identities.’ 

Dr Natalie Calder is a Postdoctoral Research Associate on the Leverhulme-funded Whittington’s Gift: Reconstructing the Lost Common Library of London’s Guildhall (2020-2023).  The project is a joint venture between the University of Kent and Queen’s University Belfast: Dr Ryan Perry, Senior Lecturer in the School of English at Kent is the Primary Investigator; Dr Stephen Kelly, English Subject Lead and Senior Lecturer in AEL at Queen’s is the Co-Investigator on the project.  

Leanne is a Research Fellow in Language Policy on the AHRC Modern Languages Leadership Fellowship Language Policy Project ‘Foreign, indigenous and community languages in the devolved regions of the UK: policy and practice for growth.’  She is undertaking research into education policy in relation to language learning and is particularly interested in language learner aspirations in relation to curriculum and assessment at post-primary level.  Her research shows serious inequalities in the provision and practice of language learning and in uptake of languages qualifications beyond the compulsory phase.  

Dr. Shonagh Hill has been awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (2020-22) to undertake her research project, ‘Generational Feminisms in Contemporary Northern Irish Performance.’ GenFem will explore embodied experiences of gender, feminism, and solidarity in Northern Ireland through the context of performance. The innovative practice-led approach will make a vital contribution to discussions around gender in Northern Ireland and generate cutting-edge interdisciplinary research which expands the fields of performance/ gender/ Irish studies.