Lisa Downing

Lisa Downing (born 1974) is a British author and academic, currently serving as Professor of French Discourses of Sexuality at the University of Birmingham. Her research spans critical humanities and sciences, focusing on sexual perversion, queer theory, Michel Foucault, ethical philosophy, film, criminality, gendered selfishness, and the affective turn. Downing's academic career began at Queen Mary, University of London, where she was promoted to Reader. She later held a chair at the University of Exeter before moving to her current position at the University of Birmingham. She was also a co-organiser of the "Critical Sexology" seminar series. In 2009, she received a Philip Leverhulme Prize, recognizing outstanding scholars.