Doing my PhD in the English department at Edinburgh Napier has been a profound learning experience which has taken me from Selkirk in the Borders to Santiniketan in Bengal, and allowed me to meet people who have become lifelong friends and colleagues. Through Edinburgh Napier I have had access to international institutions, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and organisations, such as the Royal Geographic Society and the National Library of Scotland, that I continue to work with to this day as a Modern Humanities Research Association Research Associate in the department of English at Queen’s University Belfast.
It is the department’s youth which is one of its primary attractions, it does not feel like anything is out of reach and being a student within the department allows you to become part of that dynamism. From establishing Robert Lois Stevenson Day,
@RLSOnline, to becoming internationally renowned for Gothic studies through events such as the Age of Frankenstein, @200Frankenstein, the Edinburgh Napier English department has an infectious enthusiasm for knowledge.
I did not follow a traditional route into academia and I truly believe it is only because I came to Edinburgh Napier, where strong learning support and excellent academic teaching go hand in hand, that I am where I am today. One of the unique things about the English department at Edinburgh Napier is the passion and dedication of the lecturers. The levels of support provided by staff such as Prof Linda Dryden, Prof Bashabi Fraser, Dr Scott Lyall, Dr Anne Schwan, Dr Sarah Artt and Dr Emily Alder was foundational to my success. Ultimately if it was not for the unique and supportive environment of the department I would never have become the academic I am today.
Happy 10th Birthday to the department of English at Edinburgh Napier, you are awesome!