Professional Activities
Selected Professional Activities
Grant Application Assessment
- External Post-submission (Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), AHRC Peer Review College, 2013 - present) (Grant Application Assessment)
Internal Administrative or Committee Role
- REF Lead, History Unit of Assessment (Internal Administrative or Committee Role)
- Director, Eighteenth-Century Worlds Research Centre (Internal Administrative or Committee Role)
- Member of Steering Group, Heritage Research Theme (University, 2017 - present) (Internal Administrative or Committee Role)
Professional Body Membership
- Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society (President, 2018 - 2020) (Professional Body Membership)
Conference Roles
- International Symposium on the History of the Information Society, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Copenhagen University, 2016)
- City Readers Symposium, by Invitation (New York Society Library, 2016)
- Knowledge: Community, Communication and Conflict (Postgraduate History Conference), by Invitation (UCL, 2016)
- Book History Research Group Seminar, by Invitation (Open University/Institute of English Studies, 2016)
- History seminar, by Invitation (Dundee University, 2016)
- Centre for the Study of Text and Print Culture Seminar, by Invitation (Ghent University, 2015)
- Women's Networks in History: Economic History Society Workshop, by Invitation (University of Nottingham, 2015)
- Postgraduate Reading Weekend, by Invitation (University of St Andrews, 2015)
- John Rylands Seminar on Print and Materiality in the Early Modern World, by Invitation (University of Manchester, 2015)
- Centre for Anglophone Studies, by Invitation (University of Paris VII, 2014)
- Research Methods in Book History Workshop, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (AHRC Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities, 2014)
- Book History Research Network, by Invitation (University of Leicester, 2014)
- Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies Seminar, by Invitation (University of York, 2013)
- Centre for the History of Material Texts Seminar, by Invitation (University of Cambridge, 2013)
- Scottish Romanticism Research Group Seminar, by Invitation (University of Glasgow, 2013)
- Keynote Speech, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Book, Text and Place Research Group, Bath Spa University, 2011)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (Yale University, 2011)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies, University of York, 2011)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (Queen Mary Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2010)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (University of Stirling, 2010)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (Universities of Oxford and Dundee, 2010)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (University of Manchester, 2009)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (University of Edinburgh, 2009)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (Institute of English Studies, University of London, 2009)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (University of Reading, 2009)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (University of Liverpool, 2008)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (SOCLAS, University of Liverpool, 2008)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (Institute of Historical Research, University of London, 2008)
- Invitation to Speak, by Invitation (University of St Andrews, Scottish History Seminar, 2005)
Editorships
- Eighteenth-Century Worlds Book Series, LUP (Founding Series Co-Editor, 2011 - present)
- Library of the Written Word (Brill) (Editorial Board, 2011 - present)
- Library of the Written Word Book Series (Brill) (Acting Editor-in-chief, 2014 - 2015)
- JISC Historic Books (Advisory Board Member)
- Knowledge and Communication in the Enlightenment World (Boydell & Brewer) (Founding Series Co-Editor, 2016 - present)
- Library & Information History (Editor-in-Chief, 2012 - 2016)
Examination Roles
- MMU, PhD (2021)
- University of Stirling, PhD (2021)
- University of York, MA in Eighteenth-Century Studies 2019- (2022)
- University of St Andrews, MA (Hons) in Modern History 2016- (2021)
- University of York, PhD (2018)
- University of Plymouth, PhD (2017)
- Robert Gordon University Aberdeen, PhD (2017)
- Open University, PhD (2017)
- McGill University Montreal (Canada), PhD (2013)
- Deakin University, Melbourne, PhD (2012)
External Administrative or Committee Roles
- Advisory Board on Western Sydney University Mapping Print, Charting Enlightenment Project (2017 - 2018)
- Advisory Board, MEDIATE project, Radboud University, Netherlands (2017 - 2018)
- Advisory Board, Eighteenth-Century Arts Education Research Network, University of Glasgow (2017 - 2018)
Grant Application Assessments
- External Post-submission (UK Research and Innovation, 2021 - present)
- External Post-submission (Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, 2018 - present)
- External Post-submission (Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), AHRC Peer Review College, 2013 - present)
Internal Administrative or Committee Roles
- REF Lead, History Unit of Assessment
- Director of Research, Department of History
- Director, Eighteenth-Century Worlds Research Centre
- Funder Champion: British Academy
- Academic Lead, 'Reading, Texts and Archives' Research Cluster
- Family Friendly Advisor (Paternity) (School / Institute, 2018 - 2020)
- Member of Steering Group, Heritage Research Theme (University, 2017 - present)
Organisations I have been associated with
- New York Society Library (2013 - present)
- Liverpool Athenaeum (2013 - present)
- Victoria Gallery & Museum (2013 - 2016)
- Liverpool Medical Instititute (2013 - present)
- National Museums Liverpool (Decorative Arts Dept.)
- Reading Sheffield (2013 - 2015)
- The Reader Organisation
- Loyola University Chicago (2013 - 2015)
- Dr Williams's Library (2013 - 2015)
- The Newberry Library, Chicago (2013 - 2015)
- BBC Scotland (2013)
- Samuel Johnson Society of Lichfield
- Association of Independent Libraries
- Norton Priory
Professional Body Memberships
- Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society (President, 2018 - 2020)
- Royal Historical Society (Fellow, 2010 - present)