Grace Funsten

Grace Funsten is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Washington (dissertation on Augustan elegy reception), an M.A. in Classics, and a B.A. in Classical Languages and French from Georgetown University. Her research focuses on Roman epigraphy, marginalized voices in classical texts, and gender/sexuality studies. She currently leads a book project on Roman columbarium inscriptions, exploring poetic practices of enslaved/freed populations.

Funsten’s academic career includes postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard (Loeb Foundation, 2022–2024) and the American Academy in Rome (Emeline Hill Richardson/Arthur Ross Rome Prize, 2021–2022). She has taught advanced Latin at Davidson College and incorporates material culture in pedagogy, emphasizing ancient graffiti and burial inscriptions to reveal social realities. Her work bridges classical antiquity with early modern French poetry, particularly Louise Labé’s Élégies.

• Awards: Lambda Classical Caucus Graduate Student Paper Award (2022), CAWMS Presidential Award (2018)
• Grants: Rome Prize (2021–2022), Loeb Fellowship (2022–2024)