Former Director of Research at AHRC joins Cardiff University

Professor Mark Llewellyn, the former Director of Research at the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), has taken up a new role at Cardiff University.

In a dual appointment, Professor Llewellyn will work in a new Research Funding Leadership role in the University’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and as Professor in English Literature in the School of English, Communication and Philosophy (ENCAP), starting on December 4^th 2017.

In the College role, he will advise on and catalyse external grant capture from UK Research Councils, charities and Trusts, together with European funding opportunities. As Chair in English Literature, Professor Llewellyn will deliver research-led teaching across a range of modules and will lead on Research Funding strategy within the School.

Professor Gillian Bristow, Dean of Research, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences said: “The College as a whole will greatly benefit from Mark’s experience at the AHRC where he was engaged in agenda setting and framing research strategy at the very highest level in national and international contexts. His aim is also to identify opportunities for innovative research collaboration across Schools and disciplines, and nurture new ways of thinking about funding opportunities.”

A specialist in late-Victorian and neo-Victorian studies, Professor Llewellyn has published widely on the Anglo-Irish novelist George Moore (1852-1933) and on contemporary literary and cultural engagements with the nineteenth century through the genre of ‘neo-Victorianism’. Among his current projects is a study of incest in Victorian and Edwardian politics, social reform and culture, and a book on male celibacy in the 1890s.

As Director of Research at the AHRC from 2012 to 2017, he was responsible for responsive mode programmes, postgraduate funding, research themes, knowledge exchange and public engagement activities worth c.£100m each year. He also served as an RCUK representative on REF2014 Main Panel D – Humanities, and in a range of international roles such as Chair of the Knowledge Exchange Strategy Group for Humanities in the European Research Area.

Most recently, Professor Llewellyn has been Visiting Professor of English at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK (2015–17), where he previously held the John Anderson Research Leadership Chair in English (2011–15). Prior to joining Strathclyde, he worked at the University of Liverpool as an AHRC postdoctoral researcher (2006–07), Lecturer (2007–09) then Senior Lecturer (2009–11) in English under the Vice Chancellor's Future Research Leaders scheme. From 2008 to 2011 he was Director of Postgraduate Research for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, which included leading bids for large-scale research student funding initiatives to both the AHRC (for Liverpool) and ESRC (Liverpool, Lancaster and Manchester).

Professor Llewellyn said: “As someone born and brought up in South Wales, I’m delighted to be taking up this role at Cardiff. Given the research culture in the School of English, Communication and Philosophy I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on funding opportunities that will really deliver on their ambitions. Within the College there are many strengths in the arts and humanities and I’m excited about working across disciplinary areas to enable connections, collaborations and leadership to grow in these areas.”