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Dr Pete Kirwan

PhD 2012 - Supervisor: Jonathan Bate - Shakespeare and the Idea of Apocrypha


My PhD at Warwick, following on from my BA and MA studies in the same department, enabled me to gain a role immediately in the School of English at the University of Nottingham, where I am now permanently employed as Lecturer in Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama and School Senior Tutor. My current role allows me to pursue various publication and research projects while overseeing the pastoral support and teaching experience of over a thousand undergraduate and postgraduate students. I’m driven by the passion for early modern drama I developed at Warwick. My PhD allowed me to work in a world-class library, to engage with specialists and professionals in my field, to run seminars and give lectures, and to develop sophisticated knowledge bases in literature, theatre and history. The PhD community at Warwick is supportive and friendly, and challenged me constantly to update my thinking and respond in ways that prepared me for a job that required adapting quickly to new subject areas and busy workloads. The collegiate spirit and work ethic fostered on the Warwick PhD programme is what enables me to thrive in all areas of my work while still maintaining the love of my subject.