R. L. Victoria Pöhls is a Researcher in the ERC-funded project Investigating Fictional Representations of Child Sexual Abuse in Contemporary Culture: Myths and Understanding (CSAreps project) at University College Dublin.

Her background in philosophy, linguistics, literary studies, and cognitive science reflects her interest in studying narratives as well as their impact on audiences. This aligns with the dual objectives of the CSAreps project: Employing both hermeneutical and empirical methods, the team explores the fictional representation of CSA (in film, series, literature) and its potential impact on survivors, support professionals, and general audiences.

To facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration at the nexus of disciplines engaged in investigating narratives’ (alleged) potential to foster social change, Victoria co-founded the Powerful Literary Fiction Texts-Network in 2019 and published the edited collection Powerful Prose. How Textual Features Impact Readers (2021).

She is a guest researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (Frankfurt) and an active member of the International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature (IGEL) and the International Society for the Study of Narratives (ISSN).

Gender, Sexuality & Power
 Conflict, Migration & Social Change