University of Reading Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Digital Humanities

Digital Space Workshop
2025-02-26 11:00 - 14:00 (Europe/London) | Whiteknights Campus
The Digital Humanities CoP and Hub are hosting an upcoming event centred around the theme of Digital Space.
Date: 26 February 2025, from 11.00 to 14.00 (coffee/ tea and lunch included)
Location: Whiteknights Campus
Format: Flash presentations followed by breakout sessions designed to facilitate networking and interdisciplinary collaboration
Future Collaboration Opportunity: This event will be followed by a one-day Action Lab in June 2025
This is an internal event. For further details and to take part, UoR colleagues can please contact digitalhumanities@reading.ac.uk. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing ideas at this workshop!

Writing a Data Management Plan
2025-03-05 10:00 - 12:00 | Edith Morley 126
*For UoR staff*
Many public funders of research require researchers to submit a data management plan (DMP) as part of a grant application, detailing what data will be collected in the proposed project, how data will be managed, and how and where data will be preserved and made available to others when the project concludes. Whether a funder requires it or not, if you use data in your research, you should have a DMP for your project. Writing a DMP can help you plan and execute research effectively, curate data for maximum utility, identify and manage risks, and ensure resource needs are appropriately costed.
This 2 hour course will offer practical guidance on developing an effective DMP for a grant application, and how to make best use of a DMP in your day to day research. Information about data management planning tools and resources to help you will be provided.
The objectives of this course are:

Learn how to write a data management plan for a grant application or research project.
Identify the core components of a data management plan and the key considerations to address in the plan.
Find out about resources and where to get help.

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Open Research and Digital Humanities
2025-03-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Palmer 103
Date: Wednesday 12 March
Time: 13.00 to 14.00
Location: Palmer 103 and online

The Digital Humanities CoP and Hub, in collaboration with the Open and Robust Research at Reading (ORRR) network, invite you to a lunchtime event on the theme of Open Research and Digital Humanities.
The event will include a guest talk by Dr Christopher Ohge, Senior Lecturer in Digital Approaches to Literature at the School of Advanced Study and member of the School of Advanced Study’s Digital Humanities Research Hub.
Title: Responsible Computing in Scholarly Publication
Abstract: This talk will review the importance of responsible computing, including Open Research practices, in Digital Humanities research. He will draw on three recent initiatives – his work on the Herman Melville Electronic Library, a digital edition of an anti-slavery anthology, and coordinating the Digital Humanities Climate Coalition Toolkit – to highlight the challenges and opportunities of responsible approaches. Using these examples, Dr Ohge will show how minimal computing strategies in particular can both increase sustainability and make a statement to promote environmentally conscious digital research.
Dr Ohge will be joined for questions by Dr Dawn Kanter (Digital Humanities Officer), Dr Anna Tsakalaki (ORRR network lead), Evangeline Gowie (UKRN Open Research Coordinator), and Dr Robert Darby (Research Data Manager), in a panel chaired by Dr Mara Oliva (Digital Humanities Academic Champion).

Our events are open to all researchers, staff, and PGRs from any subject – we welcome interdisciplinary collaboration!
Tea/coffee will be available for those attending in person.

Programme

1-1:10
Coffee and welcome
Dr Mara Oliva, Dr Dawn Kanter, Dr Anna Tsakalaki and Evangeline Gowie

1:10-1:40
Guest talk: Responsible Computing in Scholarly Publication
Dr Christopher Ohge, School of Advanced Study

1:40-1:50
Q&A Panel
Dr Christopher Ohge, Dr Dawn Kanter, Dr Anna Tsakalaki, Evangeline Gowie, Dr Robert Darby, chaired by Dr Mara Oliva

1:50-2:00
What’s next (who to contact, future events for DH and OR)
Dr Mara Oliva, Dr Dawn Kanter, Dr Anna Tsakalaki and Evangeline Gowie

More about the DH CoP and Hub
Digital Humanities (DH) is the critical study of the intersection between digital technologies, disciplines in the Arts and Humanities, and scholarly communication. The DH Community of Practice (CoP) and the DH Hub work together in supporting researchers to build knowledge and skills in DH, to develop and undertake DH research projects, and to maintain digital research outcomes. You can read more about the CoP here and about the Hub here.

More about the ORRR Network
Open and Robust Research at Reading (ORRR) is a network of colleagues interested in making research accessible to everyone.
Open access publishing is just the tip of the iceberg that is ‘open research’, which aims to make all stages of the research lifecycle (e.g. data, methodologies) transparent, collaborative and robust. The network aims to overcome silos to provide a space where colleagues from all departments can ask questions and share expertise in the growing (but challenging!) area of open research.
The network hosts monthly events, a Teams channel with spaces for different interests and newsletters detailing open research support and activity within the university. Members contribute by speaking at events, sharing resources on Teams or opening discussions around challenges they are facing or have overcome. The Network is supported by the University’s Open Research Action Plan (2024-29) and draws heavily on activities and projects in collaboration with the UK Reproducibility Network (Why open research at Reading?). It is facilitated by Anna Tsakalaki, the Reproducibility Local Network Lead, Evangeline Gowie, the Open Research Coordinator, and Etienne Roesch, the Institutional Lead for Reading.
Scheduled events:
In 2025, there is a range of scheduled events to participate in:

Monthly meetings of the Open Research practices in Qualitative methods special interest group.
Invited internal and external talks on applied use of different Open Research practices on real projects.
Discussions around application of specific OR methodologies and implications for researchers
Practical support on how-to by peers

Join the Open Research network to find out more about what is on offer and participate in events!

RRDP - An Introduction to Digital Humanities
2025-03-19 10:00 - 13:00, 2026-03-19 10:00 - 13:00 | Doctoral and Researcher College
This in-person session, at the Doctoral and Researcher College, is part of the Reading Researcher Development Programme.

Research Data Management: An Introduction
2025-03-20 10:00 - 12:00 | Edith Morley 280
*For UoR staff*
Effective management of research data is fundamental to good research practice, and the preservation and sharing of data that enable research findings to be validated and reproduced is required by the University and by many public funders of research.
This course will introduce principles and practices of research data management that will be applicable to researchers at all stages of their careers working with research data in any discipline, whether in the sciences, social sciences or humanities. The course will cover: public funders’ and the University’s research data policies and requirements; data management plans for funding applications; storage, organisation and documentation of data; data quality control; ethics and legal compliance; ownership and rights in data; and data preservation and sharing.
The objectives of the course are:

Learn what research data management is and how to manage your own research effectively.
Find out about the University’s and funders’ policy requirements for research data.
Find out about resources and where to get help.

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Research Data Management: An Introduction
2025-04-02 13:00 - 15:00

1-day workshop: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Digital Humanities
2025-05-07 11:00 - 15:30 | Agriculture 1L14 and online, Brian Hoskins GL68 PC
Kathryn Murphy and the DH CoP and Hub are running a 1-day workshop on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Digital Humanities.
For our morning’s keynote presentation, we are delighted to welcome Professor Stuart Dunn (Kings College London), who will demonstrate and share examples of using GIS in Humanities projects, taking a holistic view of such projects which encompasses their full lifecycle, including data design, technical workflow, publication and preservation.
In the afternoon, Kathryn Murphy will guide registered participants through a practical tutorial on how to use QGIS (a free and open-source GIS software). The tutorial will follow a session on preparing your data for using GIS, by Dr Dawn Kanter. Tea, coffee and lunch will be provided.
There will also be opportunities to ask questions, throughout the day.

Programme
Morning – Agriculture 1L14 and online
11:00 – 11:15 Arrival and coffee
11:15 – 11:25 Welcome – Mara Oliva
11:25 – 11:45 Keynote: GIS in Humanities research – Stuart Dunn (KCL)
11:45 – 12:00 Questions
Afternoon – Brian Hoskins GL68 PC
12:00 – 12:20 Preparing your data – Dawn Kanter
12:20 – 12:35 Questions
12:35 – 1:15 Lunch
1:15 – 3:15 How to use QGIS – Kathryn Murphy
3:15 – 3:30 Feedback and close

ImmerseLab Mixed Reality Performance Sharing
2025-05-08 12:30 - 13:30 | Bulmershe Theatre, Minghella Studios
The Digital Humanities CoP and Hub, and the ImmerseLab, are pleased to welcome Ian Garrett (York University, Toronto) for a mixed reality performance:
Thursday, May 8
12:30-1:30
Bulmershe Theatre, Minghella Studios
(in person only)
Ian Garrett is a producer/designer with Toasterlab media production company, which creates place-based extended reality experiences that promote deeper engagement with history, community, and imagination. He has a research and performance design practice focused on ecology and accessible mixed reality technologies in performance. He has made and shared work internationally including at the Venice Biennale, World Stage Design Taipei and Nuit Blanche Toronto.
Our events are open to all researchers, staff, and PGRs from any subject – we welcome interdisciplinary collaboration!
Tea/coffee and lunch will be available.

More about the DH CoP and Hub

Digital Humanities (DH) is the critical study of the intersection between digital technologies, disciplines in the Arts and Humanities, and scholarly communication. The DH Community of Practice (CoP) and the DH Hub work together in supporting researchers to build knowledge and skills in DH, to develop and undertake DH research projects, and to maintain digital research outcomes. You can read more about the CoP here and about the Hub here.
More about the ImmerseLab

Professor Lisa Purse is the Director of the ImmerseLab, a new production, testing and research training facility to enable colleagues across UoR’s interdisciplinary Digital Humanities (DH) community to investigate the latest developments in virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality and their real-world applications.

Lunchtime ImmerseLab Showcase
2025-06-09 12:00 - 14:00 | Bulmershe Theatre, Minghella Studios
Please join us for a hands-on session exploring the new ImmerseLab facility for Digital Humanities researchers, asking what research, participation and engagement are possible using immersive tech and videographic methodologies.
Our experts will include: Mara Oliva and John Gibbs (videographic methods), Katie Sampeck (Maya Archives project), Duncan Garrow (Virtual World of Stonehenge), Teresa Murjas (Nissen hut installation), and Guy Baxter (immersive tech in archives and museums).
Expect candid reflections on the opportunities and challenges, and how to integrate this tech methodologically and practically into your research projects.
This event will take place in person, with lunch provided. UoR colleagues may register here by 4 June. Our events are open to all researchers, staff, and PGRs from any subject – we welcome interdisciplinary collaboration!

More about the ImmerseLab

Professor Lisa Purse is the Director of the ImmerseLab, a new production, testing and research training facility to enable colleagues across UoR’s interdisciplinary Digital Humanities (DH) community to investigate the latest developments in virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality and their real-world applications.

More about the DH CoP and Hub

Digital Humanities (DH) is the critical study of the intersection between digital technologies, disciplines in the Arts and Humanities, and scholarly communication. The DH Community of Practice (CoP) and the DH Hub work together in supporting researchers to build knowledge and skills in DH, to develop and undertake DH research projects, and to maintain digital research outcomes. You can read more about the CoP here and about the Hub here.

Lunchtime Workshop on Digital Sustainability, with Digital Humanities Climate Coalition
2025-06-11 12:00 - 14:00 | Edith Morley 301
The Digital Humanities CoP and Hub invite colleagues to a lunchtime workshop with the Digital Humanities Climate Coalition (DHCC), on the theme of digital sustainability.
We are delighted to be joined by founding member of the DHCC and Director of Digital Humanities at the University of Southampton, Professor James Baker, who will lead colleagues in playing the DHCC’s digital sustainability card game and introduce the DHCC toolkit.
This event will take place in person, with lunch provided. UoR colleagues may register here by 3 June. Our events are open to all researchers, staff, and PGRs from any subject – we welcome interdisciplinary collaboration!

(Generative) Artificial Intelligence and Teaching the Ancient World
2025-06-25 - 2025-06-26 | University of Reading (in-person); Microsoft Teams (online)
Edward Ross and Jackie Baines (Department of Classics) invite teachers, researchers, scholars, and practitioners to participate in a new, hybrid conference event exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and teaching about the ancient world, broadly conceived. From the exponential environmental impact to the distortion of ancient history to the development of new models, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are making growing impacts on how the ancient world is taught, investigated, perceived, and understood. It is crucial to discuss these arising issues with those involved at all stages of the teaching, research, and development processes so that the many disciplines engaged in ancient world studies might have a consensus about the use, ethics, and impact of GenAI.
Keynote Address: Environmentally (un)sustainable AI: rethinking responsibilities for Ancient World Studies? by Prof. Federica Lucivero (Ethox Centre, University of Oxford)
Speakers include teachers, researchers, and practitioners from eight countries. Discussions will include Reconciling the Ethics of Using GenAI in Ancient World T&L, Case Studies of Good Practice, Developing AI Models for Supporting Ancient World T&L, and GenAI in Public Ancient History and Reception.

Please find the full programme here.
Please register here.

If there are any issues registering, please contact the conference committee.

Digital Research with Collections
2026-03-04 11:00 - 16:00 | Online
Explore digital methods for collections-based research. In partnership with the University of Reading’s Digital Humanities Hub, collections staff and academics will examine digital approaches to this type of research. This session will review common techniques, recent projects, and some of the logistical and theoretical challenges involved in this academic work.
Book for this session and find out more.

IDRC DH Launch Event
2026-06-17 | Henley Business School
Join us for the launch of our new Digital Humanities Centre, bringing together colleagues from across the University to explore new opportunities for collaboration and innovation. This special event will showcase projects, introduce key partnerships, and highlight how you can get involved.
