Staff Profiles

Biography

I am Lecturer in Classics in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Newcastle University. I studied Classics at the University of Oxford before completing my PhD at University College London under the supervision of Fiachra Mac Góráin and Gesine Manuwald. Before joining Newcastle, I held academic positions at Durham University, the University of Iceland, and University College Dublin.

Research

My research centres on Latin literature, especially Roman poetry and its engagement with Greek philosophy. I am particularly interested in the influence of Epicurean thought on Augustan poetry, literary intertextuality, and the reception of ancient philosophical traditions in Latin literature.

A major strand of my work focuses on the Epicurean philosopher and poet Philodemus and the carbonised papyri recovered from the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, and I have written and spoken widely on the recent AI-assisted advances in reading the Herculaneum papyri. My broader interests include Hellenistic poetry, didactic literature, and the ancient biographical tradition.

My current research projects include the monograph Virgil and Philodemus and the edited collection The Herculaneum Papyri: Texts and Interpretations. I have also co-edited Reflections and New Perspectives on Virgil's Georgics (Bloomsbury 2019). Alongside these projects, I continue to publish on Latin poetry and collaborate with colleagues across Europe on the Herculaneum papyri and the intellectual history of the Roman world.

Widening Access

I regularly give talks in secondary schools on Roman literature and culture and have organised the PARTNERS Summer School in Classics and Ancient History at Newcastle. The programme supports students from backgrounds traditionally under-represented in higher education by providing opportunities to explore the study of the ancient world at university.

Undergraduate Teaching

• The World of Latin Literature (CAC1013)
• Researching the Classics (CAC2001)
• Level 2 Latin: Interpretation of Texts (CLA2001)
• Level 2 Latin: Special Study (CLA2002)
• Beginners' Latin 1 (CLA1001)
• Beginners' Latin 2 (CLA1002)