Mildred Overton Budny, PhD, has dedicated her life to the study and preservation of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. As an influential member of her field, she founded the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence to foster collaboration and scholarship in manuscript studies. Since 1989, she has served as the executive director of the organization based in Princeton, New Jersey. Dr. Budny’s leadership has been instrumental, as she additionally contributes her expertise as editor-in-chief for the organization’s publications and serves as a founding trustee. In this capacity, she oversees the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence’s operations, management, and fundraising efforts.
Throughout her career spanning more than four decades, Dr. Budny has remained steadfast in her commitment to education, preserving history, and the transmission of knowledge across generations. She focuses on safeguarding education by connecting the past with the present and future, a mission that drives her to overcome challenges through collaboration. Before founding the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence, Dr. Budny was a visiting research collaborator at Princeton University from 1996 to 1998. She also served as a senior research associate at the Parker Library of Corpus Christi College with the University of Cambridge from 1987 to 1994. In addition, she was a Graham Robertson senior research fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Downing College from 1984 to 1987 and a Downing fellow at Keio University in Japan in 1986.
Dr. Budny began her higher education at University College London, where she earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts in 1986. She also holds a Master of Arts in English language and literature from the same institution, which she completed in 1972. A year earlier, Dr. Budny graduated with honors from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts in history and English. In addition to her academic achievements, she contributes broadly to her discipline as a professional photographer, genealogist, and conservator of manuscript photographs, textiles, and archival works.
Moreover, Dr. Budney is a member of prestigious organizations, including the Medieval Academy of America, the Bibliographical Society of America, the Bibliographical Society, the Societas Magica, and the Grolier Club, where she serves as an elected member. For her indelible contributions to her field, Dr. Budny has received numerous awards, including British Academy research grants, a British Council travel grant, the Winifred Cullis Grant from the International Federation of University Women, Central Research Fund grants from the University of London, a Maguire Fellowship, and a National Merit Scholarship from Vassar College.
Considering the establishment of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence as a highly significant milestone in her career, Dr. Budny is proud to have recognized the need for an organization that could facilitate seminars, workshops, and publications to showcase scholarly work. When her research program concluded in 1994, she returned to the United States, bringing the research group with her, and resolved to continue the group’s activities. In November 1999, she established the group as a nonprofit educational corporation. To this day, she remains driven by her passion for stories and the power they hold to transport readers across time and place. Believing strongly in the importance of learning from the experiences of others, she devotes herself to studying the remarkable teachers from centuries ago whose wisdom she can glean by studying their writings.
Looking to the future, Dr. Budny is interested in providing training and mentorship to individuals within the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence. She envisions the organization continuing to embody a legacy of scholarly collaboration and education and plans to pass on key responsibilities to younger members of the group in the next five years. When she is not working, Dr. Budny enjoys reading, watching old movies, and making jewelry.
