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Our staff

Staff categories

Find staff in Birkbeck's Department of History of Art. 

Head of department

Academic staff 

Associate lecturers 

Emeritus academic staff 

  • Professor Francis Ames-Lewis Visit Francis Ames-Lewis' fellows page or
  • Adrian Babbidge: Honorary Reader in Museology Adrian Babbidge has long experience in the museums and heritage sector as a curator, manager and consultant, latterly specialising in governance, financial, legal and strategic management issues. He has published practical guidance in these areas, and contributed reports for both local and national government. His current research interests are in museums policy and the use of data to inform the study of the historical development of museums. He has published several papers on these topics, especially in the journal Cultural Trends. He continues to develop his statistical observatory with the aim of helping the development of a longitudinal perspective on changes in UK museums. 
  • Professor Annie Coombes: Professor Emerita of Material and Visual Culture Annie E. Coombes was Founding Director of the Peltz Gallery at Birkbeck, University of London. Previous roles at Birkbeck have included, Director of Postgraduate Studies (2002 to 2005) and Head of the School of History of Art, Film and Screen Media (2005 to 2008), appointing six new members of academic staff, and overseeing the development of the Birkbeck Cinema and the transformation of the School during a period of major restructuring.
  • Professor Peter Draper: Honorary Life Member of the College Peter Draper is Visiting Professor in the History of Architecture, having been both a lecturer and senior lecturer in the History of Art Department. He was Honorary Editor of Architectural History, the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain from 1985 to 1992, and served as president of the society from 2000 to 2004. He was Chairman of the Fabric Advisory Committee at Southwark Cathedral from 1995 to 2008 and was a member of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England from 2001 to 2011.
  • Dr Tag Gronberg: Reader Emerita in the History of Art and Design Tag Gronberg's research interests include gender and modernism, particularly across art, design and architecture. Her books on late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century visual culture in France and Austria extend the study of gender and urban modernity to incorporate debates on architecture, craft and consumption. She has published on issues to do with memory, including the recent retrieval and display of Titanic artefacts. Her current projects explore gender and 1920s visual culture in France, Austria and Britain, including fashion, photography, film and interior design. 
  • Professor John Steer
  • Professor William Vaughan: Emeritus Professor of History of Art visit William Vaughan's fellow page

Research Fellows and visiting professors 

  • Dr Susanna Avery-Quash, Honorary Research Fellowship
  • Dr Juliana Barone, Honorary Research Fellowship
  • Dr Jason Bate, Honorary Research Fellowship
  • Ms Monica Bohm-Duchen, Honorary Fellowship
  • Ms Luisa Lorenza Corna, Honorary Research Fellowship
  • Dr Gabriel Koureas, Honorary Research Fellowship
  • Dr Katarzyna Murawska-Muthesius, Honorary Research Fellowship
  • Dr Lucy Peltz, Honorary Research Fellowship
  • Dr Colette Wilson, Honorary Research Fellowship
  • Dr Shijia Yu, Associate Research Fellowship

Departmental administrators: for general queries about our courses and studying 

  • You can the History of Art administrative team.
  • : Programme Administrator for all BA programmes, Certificate of HE in History of Art & History of Art and Architecture, and Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in History of Art and Architecture
  • : Programme Administrator for all MA, PgDip and PgCert programmes
  • : Team Leader
  • : Assistant School Manager
  • Anthony Shepherd Administrator for all MPhil/PhD programmes in the School of Arts