Ariel Bates is a PhD candidate studying late medieval and early modern drama. Her research focuses on manuscript and early print history, gender and sexuality, and allegories of vice. She holds a BA in English from Florida Gulf Coast University and a master’s in library science from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In the fall of 2025, she received the King's College Fellowship. Ariel has served as a co-organizer of the Medieval and Renaissance Working Group (Med/Ren) since 2023, and currently works in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts.