Francesca Killoran
Postgraduate Research Student in English Literature and Eighteenth Century Studies
CV and references are available on request.
Actively seeking opportunites.
A Little Bit About Me
Hi! I am currently looking for opportunities.
I have just completed my 50,000-word MPhil thesis in English Literature and am excited to be actively applying to full-time positions. If there any roles or opportunities that I would be suited to, I would greatly appreciate being considered.
I am always enthusiastic to talk about my research and experiences so please do not hesitate to get in touch!
Education
4 A Levels A*ACC, 7 AS Levels AAAABBD, 12 GCSEs A*-B including A*s in English Literature, Language and Maths.
MPhil, University of York
English and Eighteenth Century Studies
This research project was supervised by Dr Emma Major and examines the genre of sex worker narratives in 1790s women's writing and the development of 'Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies' (1760-1794).
Alongside my research I am an active member of the research community.
With the Realising Opportunities Team and the English Department, I have delivered academic lectures to students, mentored them on academic assignments, organised and audited various seminar sessions, and marked work.
MA, University of York
Literature of the Romantic Period
My MA’s thesis was titled ‘Vagrancy in Verse: Homelessness and wandering in the poetry of Charlotte Turner Smith and William Wordsworth’. I also wrote essays on comedy in Romanticism, queer readings of Gothic literature, music and femininity, and literary representations of medical ill health.
BA, University of York
English and Related Literature
I was extremely active in my academic community. ‘Unbecoming Jane: The Comedy of Cruelty in Austen’s Juvenilia’ was my dissertation project. I researched papers on French Symbolism, Medieval Literature, Biblical Literature, and many more.
During all of my degrees, but especially throughout my undergraduate qualification, I was an extremely active member of the academic community. Alongside my studies I was the course representative, president and secretary for the Literature Society. I was also the Women’s Officer for Halifax College and the student manager who coordinated the student ambassador team following on from two years as a keen student ambassador. I engaged with extra-curricular projects such as the @work initiative which resulted in me writing and publishing a children's book on citizenship with York's Mansion House.
Languages
French - A Level (2015) C, Level 3plus course with Languages for All (2017) pass, and a Duolingo streak of over 1400 days (2020 - present).
Spanish - GCSE (2013) A*, Level 2 course with Languages for All (2016) merit
British Sign Language - Level 1 (2021) pass
Professional Experience
Freelance Proofreader and Editor
April 2022 - Present
I have proofread and provided detailed feedback on academic articles for scholars who do not have English as their first language. I have also provided copy editing services for other pieces of non-academic writing such as reviews and blog posts. References available upon request.
Digital Events Fellow and Communications Assistant
October 2020 - August 2023
I established and coordinated the online event series for the British Association for Romantic Studies. I am in charge of the social media accounts and manage the Eventbrite. We have a community of over 1000 people who either attend the events over Zoom or watch at a later date through our YouTube channel. As Communications Assistant, in addition to continuing my work on the BARS Digital Events, I am taking the lead on several ongoing blog series including the ECR spotlight and the On This Day series. Alongside other marketing and communication administrative duties, I also run the BARS social media accounts. The twitter account currently (Aug22) has 8,459 followers.
Small Business Owner
April 2021 - Present
https://fskilloran.wixsite.com/mindreaders-books
My fiancé and I have set up our own extremely small business. Customers give us three words and I pick a book based on this while Andy curates a playlist.
Bookseller
27th September 2019 - 2nd December 2022
I was a bookseller with a small independent bookshop in York. My responsibilities included front of house customer service, reordering books, and unpacking deliveries. I absolutely adore having the opportunity to recommend and talk about books to people.
Volunteer Researcher and Guide
1st October 2021 - 2nd December 2022
At York's Mansion House I deliver guided tours and offer expert advice as a room guide. I also assist with cataloguing and research projects.
Academic Skills Presenter (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
31st October 2019 - 31st December 2021
I delivered a series of workshops to students to teach them about various academic skills. These sessions covered topics such as how to reference correctly, an introduction to independent research, and how to avoid committing academic misconduct. This was in collaboration with the Learning Enhancement team and the Widening Participation team at the University of York.
Academic Assignment Mentor and Marker
3rd July 2020 - 3rd August 2020
Working with YorJourney, I mentored incoming undergraduate students on an academic assignment. This included offering support and advice as they were preparing to begin their own academic career. We communicated through the e-mentoring platform Brightside. At the end of the program my students submitted an academic assignment which I had to mark and return feedback on.
Billings Assistant
1st July - 31st August 2018, 1st April 2020 - 1st April 2022
Working with Clifford Chance LLP, a magic circle law firm with significant depth and range of resources across five continents. I assist Billers with tasks including issuing bills and invoices and supplying credit notes. It required a lot of attention to detail and data entry skills. The role required technical knowledge and expertise of a global professional services practice management system (Keystone, Elite, CMS, and SAP), together with a sound knowledge of Excel and Word as well as financial procedures.
Trustee for the Graduate Students' Association
September 2019 - January 2021
I was co-opted as a trustee for the Graduate Students' Association (GSA) which is the postgraduate student's union at the University of York. As a registered charity, my role as trustee was to hold the GSA accountable and ensure that it was operating in a transparent manner.
College Tutor
2nd September 2018 - 30th August 2019
Working with Constantine College at the University of York. My responsibilities included ensuring the wellbeing and safety of the 600 first year students, and other college members living off campus. In this role I also gained experience in running workshops and large scale events, and coordinating with local charities and other students.
Student Engagement Intern
22nd April 2019 - 30th July 2019
My primary duties were centred around organising York's Graduate Students' Association (GSA)’s 2019 election period. This included overseeing information stands, social media posts, hosting hustings interviews, and many more responsibilities. 1110 students voted in the election making it the largest turn out seen by the GSA by over 400 votes.
Student Manager
23rd September 2017- 28th June 2018
I was in charge of organising the departmental student ambassadors for post offer visit days and other events. This included hiring and training students to become tour guides, presenting at Student Life Q&A panels, and preparing marketing materials in advance of events. I gave talks to prospective students and their families. In addition to student manager I was elected to be the Single Honors Course Representative in my 1st and 2nd years and was also President, Secretary, and Social Secretary for the Literature Society throughout the three years of my undergraduate degree.
I have a wealth of other experience including volunteering projects and positions of responsibility and leadership. If you are interested in hearing more please do not hesitate to contact me.
BARS
Digital Events Fellowship
October 2020 - October 2022
Responsible for organising the Digital Events for the British Association for Romanticism Studies
My Skill Set
Mental and Physical Health First Aider
Fully DBS checked
Technologically confident
Well-versed in Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Python Coding Language, and Google Suite
Publicity
I have experience with marketing and publicity across social media platforms, blogs, videos, mailing lists, and more.
Teaching
My experience ranges from independent tutoring, to earning my Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certificate. I have taught from Key Stage 3 to MA level.
Conferences and Lectures
Unbecoming Jane: Comedy and Cruelty in Austen's Juvenilia
British Romanticism Humour and Satire Conference
University of Durham
September 2019
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A Frankenstein Frame of Mind: Importance of Interdisciplinarity
Lecture to Creative Arts and Humanities Students
Realising Opportunities
University of York
July 2020
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Monstrous London: Rape and Assault in London in the 1790s
Discomfort: the Uncomfortable Eighteenth Century
Online Conference
April 2021
English Literature PGR Conference
I was the sole organiser of an online conference for Post-Graduate by Research students for the University of York's English Literature Department.
November 2020
The Heroine's of Harris' List: Narratives of Rape, Seduction, and Debauchery in London's Bawdy Pamphlets
Inaugural talk at York's Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies' PostGraduate Forum 2020/2021
October 2020
The Harlots Progress: Changing Attitudes towards Sex Workers from Hogarth to 'Harlots'.
University of Cambridge's Gender and Sexuality History Seminar Series
March 2021
‘Recover Health, Virtue, Happiness, Friends, Parents, Country’: penitent prostitutes in the 1790s
Resilience, Renewal, Recovery 2021, the jointly run postgraduate virtual conference hosted by the University of York’s Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies and the University of Melbourne’s Enlightenment Romanticism Contemporary Culture Research Unit
July 2021
‘“A whole skin of parchment”: Genre of Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies’
BSECS Postgraduate and Early Career Seminar Series
September 2021
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300 years of Body Positivity and Neutrality
Organised a knowledge exchange lecture and workshop where we discussed the history of body and sex positivity. I lectured on why zines are a tool for activism and then taught the attendees how to make a zine. Supported by York Festival of Ideas 2022.
June 2022
Transformative Times Conference
After a full year running the Center for Eighteenth Century Studies Postgraduate Forum, I organised an international and interdisciplinary conference that took place over Zoom.
September 2022
Reviews/ Writing
Additional Courses
Extra-curricular Qualifications
2016
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
I completed my Teaching English as a Foreign Language Qualification with Frontier in 2016 before teaching abroad in both Nepal (2016) and South Africa (2017).
2016 - 2021
Languages
French Level 3plus course with the University of York's Languages for All (2017) pass
Spanish Level 2 course with the University of York's Languages for All (2016) merit
British Sign Language - Level 1 with british-sign.co.uk (2021) pass
2020 - present
The Open University
World Heritage (2020)
What is heritage? (2020)
Visions of protest: graffiti (2020)
The politics of racial violence in Britain (2020)
Start writing fiction (2020)
French Revolution (2020)
Encouraging book talk in the school and library (2020)
Cultures - Intermediate French (2020)
2020
FutureLearn
The Museum as a Site and Source of Learning - The University of Glasgow (2020)
Peterloo to the Pankhursts: Radicalism and Reform in the 19th Century - Royal Holloway (2020)
2020 - Present
Coursera and Other Certificates
Arts and Heritage Management -Universita Bocconi-Coursera (2020)
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing - Google Digital Garage (in progress)
2015 - 2024
The University of York
Center for Applied Human Rights Open Hours Seminar Series (2015 - 2018)
Center for Women's Studies Open Hours Seminar Series (2015 - 2018)
Audited MA module - Changing Narratives In the Eighteenth Century (2018)
Center for Eighteenth Century Studies Open Hours Seminar Series (2018 - 2023)
Audited MA module - Representing Women in Eighteenth Century Britain (2020)
Paleography Club (2020-2022)
Getting Started with coding in Python (2021)