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Liam Billingsley BA and MA (Cardiff)

Liam Billingsley

(he/him)

BA and MA (Cardiff)

Teams and roles for Liam Billingsley

  • Research student

    School of Global Humanities

  • Graduate Tutor

    School of Global Humanities

Overview

I joined the PhD English Literature programme in January 2024. Under the supervision of Professor Julia Thomas, my thesis explores the pictorial afterlives of John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) that have been produced between the seventeenth and twenty-first centuries. Each chapter binds these illustrations, and the artists and illustrators behind them, to wider debates surrounding word-image relations. Through four main eras, I interrogate how illustrations of this iconic literary work draw from, and then correspond with, the material practices of creating printed images. 

Within the School, I currently work as both a Graduate Tutor, and a Writing Mentor for the Writing Development Centre. Between January 2024 and September 2026, I served as the PGR Student Representative for the English Literature cohort, which comprised two years as Chair of the PGR Staff-Student Panel.

Over the years, my academic interests have consistently fused with several community initiatives for Cardiff University's Widening Participation and Outreach team, as well as other social mobility organisations including Reaching Wider and Sutton Trust. I have previously worked as a Step Up Tutor for three successive stints, where I designed and taught a module entitled 'Text to Image and Beyond: Studying English in the Modern World'. This module uses my own research interests and encourages young people to think positively about higher education and the value of literary studies.

Research

My research interests include: 

  • John Milton, with particular reference to Paradise Lost
  • Visual culture
  • Book history
  • Christianity
  • Intertemporal reappraisals of 'great' literary works

Teaching

Since 2024, I have worked as a Yr 1 Graduate Tutor for the School of HUMAN (formerly ENCAP), having previously taught the module 'Transforming Visions: Text and Image' on two occasions. This year, I am teaching 'Writing at University and Beyond'.

As a Writing Mentor for the Writing Development Centre, I deliver 1-to-1 sessions to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students. 

Beyond these commitments, I am in the process of finishing a portfolio for a Fellowship (FHEA) qualification from the Higher Education Academy (Oct 2025-present), which involves a series of reflective activities to enhance my overall teaching practice. 

 

Biography

I graduated from Cardiff University with a BA in English Language and Literature (First Class Honours) in 2022. I then undertook an MA in English Literature from 2022-2023, and graduated with a Distinction in both the Taught and Research components. My MA dissertation focused on paired consciences in William Shakespeare's plays. 


During the MA, I developed an interest in working with the research methodology of illustration studies and book history, which catalysed my thesis on illustrations of Paradise Lost. This doctoral project bridges different eras of illustrating Paradise Lost with the ultimate aim of addressing what it means to 'illustrate' a text.

Professional memberships

  • Milton Society of America (2025-present)
  • British Association of Victorian Studies (BAVS) (2025-present)

Academic positions

  • Yr 1 Graduate Tutor (September 2024-present)
  • Chair of Staff-Student Panel (October 2024-September 2026)
  • Writing Development Centre Writing Mentor (October 2024-present)

Contact Details

Email [email protected]

Research themes

Specialisms

  • 19th-21st century
  • illustration
  • Book history
  • John Milton
  • Critical heritage, museum and archive studies