English and Creative Writing
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English and Creative Writing
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Leadership Team

English and Creative Writing

Professor Martina Plock

Head of Department

Professor Vike Martina Plock

I am the Head of Department for English and Creative Writing and a Professor of Modern Literature and Culture. I am the author of several books and of numerous articles and book chapters including Joyce, Medicine, and Modernity (2010), Modernism, Fashion and Interwar Women Writers (2017) and The BBC German Service during the Second World War: Broadcasting to the Enemy (2021). Myresearch has been supported by the Leverhulme Trust, the AHRC and several research library fellowships. I am the co-editor of the interdisciplinary academic journal Literature & History and an advisory editor of the James Joyce Quarterly.

Email: V.Plock@exeter.ac.uk

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Professor Wendy O’Shea-Meddour

Director of Creative Writing

Professor Wendy O’Shea-Meddour

I am the Director of Creative Writing in the Department of English and Creative Writing, as well as an internationally acclaimed children’s writer. My role is to steer the direction of our flourishing creative writing provision at Exeter. During your time here, you’ll encounter me in a variety of contexts, including lectures, seminars, supervisions, visiting speaker events, and creative writing dissertation meetings. You may also bump into me at literary events or giving readings in bookshops. If so, do come and say hello.

Email: W.L.OShea-Meddour@exeter.ac.uk

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Professor Sinéad Moynihan

Director of Education and Student Experience

Professor Sinéad Moynihan

I am the Director of Education and Student Experience (Lead) in the Department of English and Creative Writing. I oversee all the taught programmes in the department, both undergraduate and postgraduate.

Email: s.moynihan@exeter.ac.uk

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Professor Philip Schwyzer

Professor of Research and Innovation

Professor Philip Schwyzer

I am the Director of Research and Professor of Renaissance Literature. My research interests include Shakespeare, death and memory in early modern literature, and literary relations between England and Wales. I have led a number of interdisciplinary and international projects exploring the intersections of literary studies and archaeology, funded by the ERC, AHRC, Leverhulme Trust, and HERA.

Email: p.a.schwyzer@exeter.ac.uk

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Professor Amina Yaqin

Director of Wellbeing, Inclusion, and Culture

Professor Amina Yaqin

Email: a.yaqin@exeter.ac.uk

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Professor Kate Hext

Director of Global Engagement

Professor Kate Hext

I am co-Director of Global Engagement, responsible for the department’s partnerships and collaborations with institutions around the world. This role involves strategic development of memoranda of understanding, co-hosted events, visiting academic appointments, staff exchange opportunities, and international philanthropy and grant capture.

Email: k.hext@exeter.ac.uk

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Professor Gabriella Giannachi

Director of Business, Engagement, and Innovation

Professor Gabriella Giannachi

Since 2023, I have shared the role of Director of Business and Innovation with my colleague, Professor Jana Funke. Previously, I have been part of the Industrial Strategy Group and collaborated with colleagues in other faculties to advance and reward industry-facing work. My expertise is in performance and new media, and I tend to work collaboratively with colleagues in a range of disciplines, including Computer Science, Curation, Conservation, Geography, Architecture, Climate Science, DH, and Archival Studies. I have also worked extensively with artists, museums, and archives, with funding from RCUK, Innovate UK, Nesta, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the EU. You can contact me for any enquiry about industry-facing work and/or if you are interested to work with me or my colleagues.

Email: g.giannachi@exeter.ac.uk

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Professor Jana Funke

Director of Business, Engagement, and Innovation

Professor Jana Funke

I am an Associate Professor in English and Sexuality Studies, Director of Impact, and Co-Director of Business Engagement and Innovation. I support colleagues in building collaborations and partnerships with communities and organisations outside of academia. I am interested in developing innovative and creative ways of engaging wider publics with research to achieve positive changes in society.

Email: j.funke@exeter.ac.uk

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Professor Andy Brown

Director of Postgraduate Taught Creative Writing

Professor Andy Brown

Email: Andy.Brown@exeter.ac.uk

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Dr Kate Wallis

Director of PGT Publishing

Dr Kate Wallis

Kate is an editor and literary producer with twenty years’ experience of working in the publishing industry. She was previously Head of Humanities at Palgrave Macmillan, responsible for paperback publishing across history, literature, theatre and language. She worked for four years as an Editor and Producer at Kenya’s leading literary publisher Kwani Trust.

Email: K.Haines@exeter.ac.uk

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