My first career after graduating from Sydney University was as a secondary school teacher of languages ancient and modern. I subsequently completed an MA and PhD at the Australian National University in Ancient Greek literature (my PhD thesis was a study of the role that memory played in the composition of the Homeric epics) and joined the Classics staff in the Classics Department (now the Centre for Classical Studies) at the ANU. Teaching the languages and literature of Ancient Greece and Rome--that is, helping students to appreciate why the literature of these ancient cultures continues to be so influential--is what drives me. I have also enjoyed teaching classes in social history. The awards I have won for the quality of my teaching reflect my commitment to doing this well. Now 'retired' I continue my research in the literature of archaic Greece and supervise research students.

BA DipEd (Syd) BA MA PhD (ANU) FAHA SFHEA

My research focuses on the Homeric epics as oral poetry: the composition of the Homeric epics; Homer and memory; Homer's narrative; the speech Homer attributes to his characters; the reception of the Homeric epics through time. As a member of the ARC-funded ANU-University of Melbourne 2010 Gallipoli Project I developed a strong research interest in social memory and the landscape of the Dardanelles region, which I have directed to new projects on myth and memory and landscape within that region, and their reception. I am currently interested in emotional memory, immersion, and empathy as represented in the Homeric epics and as evoked in their audiences.