Dr. Janina Ramirez

British art and cultural historian, Dr Janina Ramirez is a powerhouse of historical knowledge. She has turned her passion for the past into a teaching and researching career, providing understanding to anyone interested. As technological advancements have been made, Ramirez has consciously adapted her teaching styles to reach a variety of platforms including publications in magazines, TV, Youtube, Radio, and podcasts. Ramirez began her academic success at the University of Oxford, obtaining an undergraduate degree in English Literature from St Anne’s College. From there she focused her studies on the art, literature, and culture of Anglo-Saxon England at the York Centre for Medieval Studies. Both her MA and Ph.D. were awarded in York before she returned to the University of Oxford as an Art History Lecturer and Course Director.

Throughout her impressive career, Ramirez has published a number of educational articles and research projects, including her Ph.D. thesis on Bird Symbolism in Ango-Saxon art and literature. In addition to this, she has published four books, two of which are aimed at making art history accessible and interesting for children. Over the course of six years, Janina Ramirez has made regular radio contributions for the BBC. The first was Melencolia in 2014 on Radio 4, which she later appeared on speaking on Civilisations in 2018. The BBC World Service has broadcast Ramirez’s expertise on three occasions between 2015 and 2016.

Perhaps the most outstanding achievements of Ramirez’s career are her academic triumphs. She was made an Honorary Visiting Fellow for the Department of History and Art at the University of York and the President of the Gloucester History Festival. Teaching is her main passion, and alongside her classes at Oxford Ramirez is also the Early Medieval Lecturer at the V&A Museum in London. To accompany her classroom lectures, Ramirez has branched out to small screen appearances. In 2010 she made her BBC TV debut on BBC 4 in 'Treasures of the Anglo-Saxons’.

In 2012 she wrote and presented her own unique series entitled ‘The Private Lives of Medieval Kings’ a three-part series that secured her 10 future appearances across the BBC channels to date. Most recently, you can watch and learn from Janina Ramirez as she presents ‘Homemade in Bolton’ on BBC Four. As a speaker, Dr. Janina Ramirez offers a plethora of knowledge on Medieval, Art and Cultural History. With her experience in presenting on radio, TV and in the lecture theatre, Ramirez can enchant an audience with her enthusiasm for learning and is driven by her desire to impart her wisdom on others.