Michael is Director of The Digital Humanities Institute. He has nearly 30 years of experience in developing, managing and delivering large collaborative research projects and technology R&D in the humanities and heritage subject domains.

He is currently Principal Investigator (UK) on the project C21 Editions: Scholarly Editing and Publishing in the Digital Age (AHRC and Irish Research Council) and Co-Investigator on the project Scoping Future Data Services (AHRC).

He was Principal Investigator on the following projects: Connecting Shakespeare (HEIF), Dewdrop (Jisc), Reinventing Local Public Libraries (HEIF), and Manuscripts Online (Jisc); Co-Investigator on the following projects: Intoxicants and Early Modernity (ESRC/AHRC), Linguistic DNA (AHRC), Beyond the Multiplex (AHRC) and Ways of Being in the Digital Age (ESRC); and has been the technical lead on a wide number of projects such as Digital Panopticon (AHRC).

Michael oversees the work of the DHI which includes:

  • Responsibility for the development and delivery of its research projects.
  • Initiating and developing research funding proposals.
  • Overseeing the DHI’s postgraduate degree programmes.
  • Developing the DHI’s operations and strategic objectives.
  • Managing the DHI’s relationship with its clients and stakeholders.
  • Developing new relationships and business opportunities.
  • Representing the DHI nationally and internationally as well as within the University more widely.
  • Overseeing the online resources which the DHI hosts on behalf of its partners.

Michael serves as the main point of contact for project partners undertaking a collaboration with the DHI and he bears responsibility for the DHI’s commitments to its projects.

Research interests

  • Data ontologies
  • Scholarly digital editions
  • Research infrastructure
  • Information systems design
  • Online publishing

Teaching interests

  • Cultural data
  • XML, databases and data models 
  • Social media data mining
  • Project management

Teaching activities

I am Programme Director for the MA in Cultural Data Management & Communication. I teach on the following modules:

  • IPA61001 Introduction to Cultural Data
  • IPA61002 Managing Digital Projects
  • IPA61006, Digital Culture and Cultural Data e-Portfolio