Research Interests
I welcome PhD inquiries and proposals in the following subject areas:
- The Politics of Progress: Revolution and Enlightenment, 1650-1800
- Transatlantic studies, 1600-1900
- British and American culture, literature and history, 1600-1900
- History of the book and textual cultures
- American studies
- Historical biography
- Cultural theory
- Digital humanities
Public outreach & key achievements
Currently Professor of American Studies in the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, Wil Verhoeven was Head of School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen's University Belfast (2017-2020).
He was formerly Professor of American Culture and Cultural Theory, and founding Chair of the American Studies Department at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). He is also Invited Research Scholar in the American Studies Department at Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island).
From 2002-2003 he was inaugural Charles H. Watts II Professor in the History of the Book and Historical Bibliography at the John Carter Brown Library and the Department of English at Brown University.
In 2006 he was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by Governor Ernie Fletcher of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to the state.
Research students
I am currently starting up a PhD project to be carried out by Brett Hannam, "The Five Lives of Robert Jephson".
Alumni: Where are they now
All my previous PhD students were registered at my then university affiliation (U of Groningen in The Netherlands).