- Postdoctoral Researcher, School of English and Digital Humanities, University College Cork
Timothy Liam Waters is a Postdoctoral Researcher at University College Cork. As part of the ERC-funded NorseMap project, Liam leads the Politics & Identity strand, focusing on the use and appropriation of medieval Scandinavia's history, symbolism, and literature in contemporary governance and culture. In addition to his work on the reception of medieval Scandinavia, Liam also works extensively in New Materialist and Ecocritical approaches to Old Norse literature.
He has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels (both Master and PhD seminars) on topics spanning from Old Norse literature and language to the reception of myth in popular media and digital folklore. He currently serves on the editorial board of the journal, "Old Norse Studies" (Trivent Publishing) and was elected to the Modern Language Association's Old Norse Forum Executive Committee in 2026.
Liam received his PhD and MA in the Departments of Scandinavian and Medieval Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his BA in Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic from the University of Cambridge, Clare College.
Experience
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2026–presentPostdoctoral Researcher, University College Cork (Norse Map)
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2025–2026Postdoctoral fellow, The Ohio State University
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2025–2025Postdoctoral Scholar, Charles University Prague
Education
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2024University of California, Berkeley, Doctor of Philosophy, Scandinavian Languages and Literatures
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2024University of California, Berkeley, Doctor of Philosophy, Medieval Studies
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2019University of California, Berkeley, Master of Arts, Scandinavian Languages and Literatures
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2017University of Cambridge, Clare College, Bachelor of Arts, Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic
Publications
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2026Valhalla: A Phantasm, postmedieval
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2025The Double-Edged Paradox: Literary Materialism and Cursed Swords in the Fornaldarsögur, Dingversammlung: Wirkmächtige Objekte in der altnordischen Literatur, edited by Daniela Hahn, 104–157. Münchner Nordistische Studien 56
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2022Materiality and Myth: Encountering the Broken Body in the Eddic Corpus, Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 18
Grants and Contracts
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2025Global Arts + Humanities Society of Fellows Fellowship
- Role:
- Fellow
- Funding Source:
- The Ohio State University
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2025The Royal Gustavus Adolfus Academy for Swedish Folk Culture Postdoctoral Travel Grant
- Role:
- Recipient
- Funding Source:
- The Royal Gustavus Adolfus Academy
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2025Medieval Academy of America Travel Grant
- Role:
- Recipient
- Funding Source:
- Medieval Academy of America
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2024Doctoral Completion Fellowship
- Role:
- Recipient
- Funding Source:
- University of California, Berkeley
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2024American Scandinavian Foundation Fellowship
- Role:
- Fellow
- Funding Source:
- American Scandinavian Foundation
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2023Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
- Role:
- Recipient
- Funding Source:
- U.S. Department of Education
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2023Leifur Eiríksson Foundation Fellowship
- Role:
- Fellow
- Funding Source:
- Leifur Eiríksson Foundation
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2022Fernström Travel Grant
- Role:
- Recipient
- Funding Source:
- University of California, Berkeley
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2022Graduate Division Travel Grant
- Role:
- Recipient
- Funding Source:
- University of California, Berkeley
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2018Fernström Travel Grant
- Role:
- Recipient
- Funding Source:
- University of California, Berkeley
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2018Graduate Division Travel Grant
- Role:
- Recipient
- Funding Source:
- University of California, Berkeley
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2017Departmental Fellowship
- Role:
- Fellow
- Funding Source:
- Department of Scandinavian, University of California, Berkeley
Professional Memberships
- University of Cambridge, Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic Society
- University of California, Berkeley ScandGrads
- Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS)
- Viking Society for Northern Research (VSNR)
- Medieval Academy of America (MAA)
- Modern Language Association (MLA)
Contact Timothy for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
