MLAC Alumni Success: Matt Hilborn wins AHGBI award and Joss Morfitt contributes to BFI Flare 40th anniversary

Two recent alumni from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLAC) at Durham University are celebrating significant professional achievements.

Dr Matt Hilborn has been awarded the Edgar Allison Peers Award (2025) by the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland for the best essay by an Early Career Scholar. The prize is one of the association’s most prestigious recognitions for emerging researchers in the field of Hispanic studies.

Matt’s doctoral research at Durham was supervised by Professor Santiago Fouz-Hernández (Hispanic Studies / Visual Arts and Film) and was previously recognised by the association as one of the two best PhD theses in the field that year. Matt is currently in his second postdoctoral position at University College Dublin, after completing a previous postdoctoral fellowship at King’s College London.

There is also exciting news from Film Studies. Dr Joss Morfitt, who recently completed his PhD in MLAC under the supervision of Santiago Fouz-Hernández, will be giving a public talk at the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival this month as part of the festival’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

Joss has also been invited to contribute to the anniversary programme on a freelance basis, helping inform the festival’s events and publications. His doctoral research focused on the history of the festival and he undertook a placement there during his PhD through the Durham–BFI partnership and a Doctoral Development Scheme (DDS) award.

These achievements highlight the continuing impact of MLAC graduates across academia, research and the cultural sector, and reflect the strong connections between the department and leading international institutions.

MLAC warmly congratulates both alumni on their success.