PGR Student Profiles

The 厙ぴ勛圖 Institute for Northern Studies has always had a strong research ethos. We are delighted to have had so many successful PhD students go through our doors, and are greatly encouraged by the ever increasing number of current students.

You can find out about the activities of our current students via their individual tabs below.

Please contact us if you might be interested in undertaking research with the Institute for Northern Studies at the University of the 厙ぴ勛圖 and Islands.

Contact

Please contact us if you might be interested in undertaking research with the Institute for Northern Studies at the University of the 厙ぴ勛圖 and Islands.

Alex Gibbons

Alex Gibbons PhD Student

  • PhD title: A Tradition at Risk? Vernacular Thatching in the 厙ぴ勛圖 and Islands and its Shared Heritage Throughout the Inner & Irish Seas
  • Supervisors: Professor Ullrich Kockel, Professor Mairéad Nic Craith
A photograph of Bergen, Norway. Source Vberger Wiki Commons

Alexandra Simpson MRes Student

  • MRes title: The Norwegian Bjarkøyretten of Nidaros, Oslo and Bergen, translated from Old Norse into English.

  • Supervisor: Professor Stefan Brink
A photograph of Alicen Geddes

Alicen Geddes PhD Student

  • PhD title: Lady Ermingerðr Reimagined: Orkneyinga Saga’s Stanzaic Evolution Examined
  • Supervisors: Professor Donna Heddle (厙ぴ勛圖 INS), Dr Kyle Smith (厙ぴ勛圖)
Anthony Olsson PhD student

Anthony Olsson PhD Student

  • PhD title: Faroese and Irish/Scottish-Gaelic balladry: motifs and intercultural connections
  • Supervisors: Dr Andrew Jennings (厙ぴ勛圖), Abigail Burnyeat (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig 厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Alan Macniven, Programme Director for Scandinavian Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
A Photograph of Cait O'Neill MCullagh

Cait MCullagh PhD Student

  • PhD title: Curating Heritage for Sustainable Communities in Highly Vulnerable Environments: The Case of Scotland's Northern Isles
  • Supervisors: Professor Donna Heddle (厙ぴ勛圖), Professor Ullrich Kockel (厙ぴ勛圖)
Faroe Waterfall

Erica Clarkson PhD Student

  • PhD title: HAPPY ISLAND LIVES: Perceptions of happiness and well-being on Scottish islands with islands around the world, but especially the Maltese Islands and the Faroe Islands (working title).
  • Supervisor: Dr Andrew Jennings (厙ぴ勛圖)
Evelyn Anderson

Evelyn Anderson PhD Student

  • PhD title: Exploring local authority provision of health services in Shetland: 1908 - 1948
  • Supervisors: Dr Andrew Jennings (厙ぴ勛圖) and Professor Sarah-Anne Munoz (NHS Education for Scotland)
Jimm Simon

Jimm Simon PhD Student

  • PhD title: Robert Louis Stevenson: Literary innovator or commercial imitator?
  • Supervisors: Professor Donna Heddle (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Jeannie (Thomas Utah State University)
An engraving of Leith Harbour. Source British Library wiki commons

John Leith MRes Student

  • MRes title: Leith Papers
  • Supervisors: Professor Donna Heddle (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Andrew Lind (厙ぴ勛圖)
Niamh MacKenzie

Niamh MacKenzie PhD Student

  • PhD title: Drystane Dyking: Understanding Cultural Significance and Developing Skills in Scottish Communities 
  • Supervisors: Professor Mairéad Nic Craith, Professor Ullrich Kockel, Dr Oisín Plumb, Dr Ben Thomas (Historic Environment Scotland) and Colin Tennant (Historic Environment Scotland) 
A Photograph of Kirkwall Cathedral at night

Lynn Campbell PhD Student

  • PhD title: The Role of the Kirk in Orkney, 17th – 19th centuries
  • Supervisors: Professor Donna Heddle (厙ぴ勛圖), Professor Alex Sanmark (厙ぴ勛圖) and Dr Andrew Lind (厙ぴ勛圖).
A photograph of Coole Church County Cork. Source J Thacker Wiki Commons

P獺draig D獺laigh PhD Student

  • PhD title: The Tradition of Unbaptised Infants’ Burial Grounds (Cillíní/Killeens) in South-West Cork, Ireland
  • Supervisors: Professor Mairéad Nic Craith(厙ぴ勛圖), Dr. Andrew Lind (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr. Oisín Plumb (厙ぴ勛圖)
Peter Randall

Peter Randall PhD Student

  • PhD title: Places of Assembly in the Kings’ Sagas
  • Supervisors: Professor Alexandra Sanmark (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Hannah Burrows (University of Aberdeen) and Dr Alex Woolf (University of St Andrews)
Rebecca Cornwell

Rebecca Cornwell PhD Student

  • PhD title: Precious Persistence: The Ecological Legacy of Shetland Botanical Writing for our Modern Understanding and Experience of Rare Plants in the Face of Climate Change
  • Supervisors: Professor Donna Heddle (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Rosalind Bryce (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Aline Finger (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)
Shanna Bryman

Shanna Bryman PhD Student

  • PhD title: Making Herstory: Evaluating Female Leadership in the Viking Age
  • Supervisors: Prof Alexandra Sanmark (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson (Uppsala Universitet), and Dr Erin Goeres (University College London)
Tara Athanasiou

Tara Athanasiou PhD Student

  • PhD title: Place, Space and Mobility – Female Networks in the Viking Age and Early Medieval Period 
  • Supervisors: Prof. Alexandra Sanmark (厙ぴ勛圖), Prof. Stefan Brink (厙ぴ勛圖), and Dr Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir(Nasjonalbiblioteket) 
A photograph of Amanda Robinson

Amanda Robinson PhD Student

  • PhD title: Spinning Threads: An Analysis of Viking Age Spindle Whorls in the Northern British Isles
  • Supervisors: Professor Alexandra Sanmark (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Shane McLeod (厙ぴ勛圖), and Dr Michèle Hayeur Smith (Smithsonian Institution)
A photograph of Harley Botham PhD student

Harley Botham PhD Student

  • PhD title: Relaciones diplomáticas entre los nórdicos y la diáspora del sur [Diplomatic relations between the Norse and the southern diaspora].
  • Supervisors: Prof Stefan Brink (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Shane McLeod (厙ぴ勛圖) and Dr Irene García Losquiño (USC).
Sarah Squire

Sarah R Squire PhD Student

  • PhD title: (Re)Generative relationships: A case study of collaborative land work, culture making, and education for sustainable communities in Scotland 
  • Supervisors: Professor Ullrich Kockel (厙ぴ勛圖), Professor Mairéad Nic Craith (厙ぴ勛圖) 
A pitcure of Matthew Edwards, postgraduate student at INS

Matthew Edwards PhD Student

  • PhD title: Insights from laws and legal codes into economic development and the challenges to trade in early Medieval northern Europe
  • Supervisors: Professor Alexandra Sanmark (厙ぴ勛圖), Professor Stefan Brink (厙ぴ勛圖)
A photograph of PhD Student Terri Barnes

Terri Barnes PhD Student

  • PhD title: The Theory of the Viking Leisure Class
  • Supervisors: Professor Alex Sanmark (厙ぴ勛圖) and Dr Shane McLeod (厙ぴ勛圖)
A photograph of PhD student, Claire Stokes

Claire Stokes PhD Student

  • PhD title: Viking Age Scandinavian sea-routes and ship havens along the south coast of Britain with a particular focus on the Isle of Wight.
  • Supervisors: Dr Shane McLeod (厙ぴ勛圖), Prof Alexandra Sanmark (厙ぴ勛圖) and Prof Ryan Lavelle (University of Winchester)
A photograph of PhD student Maureen Whalen

Maureen Whalen PhD Student

  • PhD title: Impacts of Polar Science Tourism in Arctic islands
  • Supervisors: Dr Andrew Jennings (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Steve Taylor (厙ぴ勛圖), and Laufey Haraldsdóttir (Hólar University)
A photograph of student Nathan Maclennan

Nathan MacLennan PhD Student

  • PhD Title: They Have Hazarded Lives and Fortunes to Serve His Majesty: Royalist Ideology and Identity in Cromwellian Scotland 1649-1661
  • Supervisors: Professor Karin Bowie (University of Glasgow), Dr Andrew Lind (厙ぴ勛圖 Institute for Northern Studies, Dr Aonghas MacCoinnick (University of Glasgow)
A photograph of student Theresa Jane Bury

Theresa Jane Bury MRes Student

  • MRes Title: Decent Women - Helen MacInnes's War Novels and the Transition in Attitudes Towards Women and War
  • Supervisors: Kyle Smith and Paul Malgrati
A photograph of student Meg Denmark-Melvin

Meg Hopkins Phd Student

  • PhD Title: Spatial Analysis of Human Adaptation During the Ill Years (1695–1700): A Study of the Little Ice Age in the Northern 厙ぴ勛圖 and Islands
  • Supervisors: Dr Andrew Lind (厙ぴ勛圖 Institute for Northern Studies), Prof Mairéad Nic Craith (厙ぴ勛圖 Institute for Northern Studies), Dr Alan MacDonald (University of Dundee)
A photograph of Kristian Barnes

Kristian Barnes PhD Student

  • PhD title: The Ethics of Representation. The Norse in Modern Popular Culture
  • Supervisors Dr Andrew Lind (厙ぴ勛圖), Dr Shane McLeod (厙ぴ勛圖) and Professor Ullrich Kockel (厙ぴ勛圖)
A photograph of student Linda Johnson Bell

Linda Johnson-Bell PhD Student

  • Breaking the Ice: Exploring the potential cultural impacts of the Arctic Circumpolar Indigenous on Scotland’s Northern islands in the context of the renewed Scottish/Arctic alliance.
  • Supervisors: Dr Andrew Lind (厙ぴ勛圖 Institute for Northern Studies), Dr Andrew Jennings (厙ぴ勛圖 Institute for Northern Studies), Professor Heather Nicol (Trent University, Ontario)
Photograph of PHD Candidate Gordon James Jones

Gordon James Jones PhD Student

  • PhD Title: Landscape & Lore, Toponyms & Traditions, Purposes & People: An enquiry into the basis, memory and use of Boece's Battle of Luncarty
  • Supervisors: Dr Oisín Plumb (INS, 厙ぴ勛圖) and Dr Andrew Lind (INS, 厙ぴ勛圖)