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Liam Billingsley
(he/him)
BA and MA (Cardiff)
Teams and roles for Liam Billingsley
Research student
Graduate Tutor
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 that have been produced between the seventeenth and twenty-first centuries. I am also interested in how these illustrations contribute towards wider debates surrounding word-image relations, and how each era of illustrating Milton draws from the material practices of creating printed images.
Within the School of ENCAP, I currently work as both a Graduate Tutor in English Literature, and a Writing Mentor for ENCAP's Writing Development Centre. Since January 2024, I have served as the PGR Student Representative for the English Literature cohort. Later that year, I became the Chair of the PGR Staff-Student Panel.
Outside of ENCAP, I also support several community initiatives through Cardiff University's Widening Participation and Outreach team. I am currently working as a Step Up Tutor, where I lead 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
- The History of Christianity in England
Teaching
I am currently working as a Graduate Tutor for the School of ENCAP, where I teach on the Year 1 module 'Transforming Visions'.
I also work as a Writing Mentor within ENCAP's Writing Development Centre, delivering 1-to-1 sessions to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught students.
Beyond these commitments, I am pursuing a Fellowship (FHEA) qualification from the Higher Education Academy (Oct 2025-present), which centres around 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 my MA studies, I developed an interest in working with the research methodology of illustration studies, which has led to my doctoral thesis on illustrations of Paradise Lost. My doctoral project bridges different eras of illustrating Paradise Lost to address what it means to 'illustrate' a text and the influence of illustrative technique on word-image relations.
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-present)