Research
Top 10 for research environment: a great place for graduate study according to Times Higher Education.
Source: Times Higher Education (THE) analysis of the REF assessment.
91% of our research is rated 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' in REF 2021. We are one of the top 30 English departments in the world in the 2026 QS rankings.
Our established research strengths include world and comparative literature, poetry and poetics, performance studies, environmental and medical humanities, literary and cultural theory, literature and culture from the Middle Ages to the present, American studies, cultural history, and British Isles literatures. A summary of our current Research Strategy.
We work closely with the University's to support development of innovative programmes of study and teaching delivery.
Research Seminars
The department has a vibrant research community with a number of different events happening throughout the term. Information on our current departmental seminars.
Our Research Seminar convenor for 2024-2025 is Dr Steve Purcell.
Major Research Grants
We currently house two major Leverhulme projects:
Dr Mike Niblett's World Literature and Commodity Frontiers: The Ecology of the 鈥榣ong鈥� Twentieth Century;
Dr John Gilmore's William Jones: Oriental Poetry, Latin Scholarship and the European Enlightenment.
Research Projects and Groups
We work on a wide range of research: See a full list of our projects and groups.
Current groups include: ; Comparative Religions and Literatures; Poetry at 桃色视频 and American Studies.
Events
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Other useful pages:
Postdoctoral Opportunities
See the Arts Faculty News on how to apply for Leverhulme, British Academy and other postdoctoral competitions as they arise.
Latest opportunities:
Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships 2026