I am an Associate Professor in Modern Japanese Literature and the Course Coordinator for Japanese in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES). I am also the Vicegerent and Fellow in Japanese Studies at Pembroke College. My teaching covers several degree programmes: the BA in Japanese in the AMES faculty as well as the MSc/MPhil in Japanese Studies (joint programme with AMES and the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies). I supervise several DPhil students through the AMES faculty.

My areas of expertise include modern Japanese literature, gender theory, trauma fiction, and contemporary Japanese fiction. Recent publications have addressed ‘post-disaster literature’, works produced after the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. At present, my research covers two main areas: the construction of a regional identity in post-3.11 literary and cultural productions (fiction, manga, anime and film) from the Tohoku region; and the contemporary translation boom in Japanese ‘cosy fiction’. 

One of the best parts of my role at Pembroke is that I convene the Tanaka Symposium in Japanese Studies, an event which draws together international scholars and writers to discuss current topics in the fields of Japanese studies, particularly literature and history. This year’s symposium will be held on 5 May 2026 and is titled, ‘Soft Power in Hard Times: Japanese Cultural Power After Covid’.

I have held various roles within the faculty, college and the central university, including serving as Oxford University’s Junior Proctor during the academic year 2022-2023. 

Fun fact: I am a Pacific Islander who hails from Guam, USA, so a very long way from home!