The two most recent researchers to join the Faculty of Classics have won a 2021 Philip Leverhulme Prize, it was announced today (Monday 18 October).
The Leverhulme Trust hands out 30 prizes each year from a field of more than 400 nominees. In doing so, the Trust aims to "recognise and celebrate the achievement of exceptional researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future careers are exceptionally promising".
Dr Kathryn Stevens was recognised for her work on ancient history; Greek, Mesopotamian and Hellenistic.
Dr Giuseppe Pezzini received an award for his work on Latin Literature, Greek and Roman drama, Latin linguistics, medieval Latin, reception, history of classical scholarship, digital humanities and theory of fiction.
Professor Neil McLynn, Chair of the Board of the Faculty of Classics, said: "I am delighted by the success of these two colleagues, the Faculty's two most recent recruits, in winning these most prestigious prizes. Kathryn's work on the role of intellectuals in the Hellenistic kingdoms, in particular the support offered there to Mesopotamian scholars, and Giuseppe's engagement with the comedies of Terence, both explication of grammatical forms and exploration of the wider cultural context, illustrate powerfully the quality and diversity of research being undertaken in the Classics Faculty."
Professor Dan Grimley, Interim Head of Humanities at Oxford University, added: "I am thrilled that two of our talented Oxford colleagues have been recognised with a 2021 Philip Leverhulme Prize. The work that Dr Kathryn Stevens and Dr Giuseppe Pezzini are doing is an integral part of the world-leading and innovative research in our Faculty of Classics. I warmly congratulate them on winning this prestigious award and look forward to seeing what they do next."
Anna Vignoles, Director of the Leverhulme Trust, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to award these prestigious prizes to such a stunningly talented group of academics. This round was more competitive than ever and the judges had an incredibly difficult task. This is evident from the achievements of the winners, who are working on a very diverse set of topics, from the physics of dark matter to climate science, from research into policing and inequality through to participatory art.”
This is the twentieth year of the Leverhulme Prize. Each prize is worth £100,000 and winners use the money to advance their research. You can read more about this year's winners here.
