The University of Virginia has appointed Lisa Blackmore as Faculty Director of UVA Library’s Digital Humanities Center and Professor of Spanish in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Blackmore, formerly a Senior Lecturer in Art History and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Essex in England, begins her role at UVA on August 21.
Since 2018, Blackmore has been the founder/director of entre—ríos [Between Rivers] an international digital platform focusing on bodies of water in Latin America. Her research is in the field of environmental humanities, with a focus on cultural histories of human-river relations, ecocritical analysis of art and literature, and creative collaborations between art, science, and communities.
As Faculty Director of the DH Center, which is a part of the Library’s Research and Learning Services Division, Blackmore will provide intellectual leadership and identify new strategic initiatives for the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities and the Scholars’ Lab, both housed in the Edgar Shannon Library.
“I’m excited to get to know colleagues in the DH Center and across Grounds, finding out about their interests and the questions they’re tackling in their research and teaching,” Blackmore said. “I’m thrilled to step into a role where I can nurture connections across the digital humanities ecosystem at UVA and beyond. I’m very much looking forward to channeling energy into the inspiring projects that DH colleagues are already leading and to exploring new initiatives and collaborations.”
Blackmore has more than 15 years of experience designing, directing, and delivering collaborative curatorial projects, audiovisual productions, editorial projects, and public programs in Latin America and Europe. One example, the entre—ríos digital platform was born in response to the pandemic and hosts dozens of curatorial, educational, and outreach projects exploring water challenges and cultures in Latin America.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Lisa Blackmore to the University of Virginia Library as the new Faculty Director of the Digital Humanities Center,” said Mira Waller, Associate University Librarian for Research & Learning Services and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. “Lisa’s work is deeply rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration, environmental humanities, and public engagement. Her leadership of the international platform entre—ríos and her curatorial projects connecting communities to bodies of water in Latin America reflect a rare blend of scholarly depth and creative vision. I’m especially excited about the ways Lisa’s practice — spanning digital humanities, art, and community engagement — will enrich and inspire new forms of research and connection.”
Much like incoming University Librarian Leo Lo, Blackmore considers AI literacy a key issue for academic centers. “We are undoubtedly at a critical juncture in how we understand ourselves as humans,” she said. “AI is radically and rapidly changing our world, transforming how we think, work, and relate to each other. It is also creating ever greater pressures on the environment that builds and powers digital technologies. This precipitous pace of change requires the long-view perspective, critical thinking, and agile creativity that the humanities is uniquely positioned to offer. DH centers and libraries are perfect seedbeds for that work to take root.”
Blackmore earned her doctorate in Latin American Studies at Birkbeck College at the University of London, where she also completed her M.A. degree in Latin American Cultural Studies, with a focus on visual culture and critique. She completed her undergraduate studies in Modern and Medieval Languages at St John’s College at the University of Cambridge.
Her monograph, “Spectacular Modernity: Dictatorship, Space and Visuality in Venezuela,” was published in 2017 by the University of Pittsburgh Press and won the Fernando Coronil Prize for Best Book on Venezuela from the Latin American Studies Association. She has co-edited seven other books. She won the 2021 Excellence in Education Award from the University of Essex as well as 16 research grants from 2013-24.
Blackmore succeeds Alison Booth, Brown-Forman Professor of English at UVA, who served as Faculty Director of the DH Center from 2023-25, and as Academic Director of the Scholars’ Lab from 2016-23. “Alison’s deep commitment to digital humanities and her collaborative spirit have shaped the DH Center and its community in profound ways,” Waller said.
Blackmore said she is inspired by the digital humanities because it resists siloed thinking. “Fundamentally, digital humanities is public humanities,” she said. “It is a vital way of bridging students and faculty, universities and communities — something we badly need right now. Ultimately, digital humanities is an intrinsically interdisciplinary set of practices that create spaces for us to gather, listen, and work together.”