James J. O’Hara

James J. O’Hara is the George L. Paddison Professor of Latin at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His academic journey includes a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He has held significant roles, such as Department Chair (2003-2007), Director of Graduate Studies, and President of the Vergilian Society. His research focuses on Greek and Latin poetry, with a special emphasis on the Augustan period, epic, didactic literature, and satire.

Education highlights include studies at the College of the Holy Cross (A.B., 1981) and the University of Michigan (Ph.D., 1986). He taught at Wesleyan University before joining UNC in 2001, where he has contributed extensively to teaching and scholarship.

Research interests span Latin poetry, particularly Vergil, Catullus, Lucretius, and Ovid. Notable works include Death and the Optimistic Prophecy in Vergil’s Aeneid (1990), True Names: Vergil and the Alexandrian Tradition of Etymological Wordplay (1996), and Inconsistency in Roman Epic (2007). Current projects explore teaching authority in didactic and satirical works.

Publications include over 40 articles and book reviews, with a focus on Vergilian studies, Lucretian analysis, and classical pedagogy. Recent lectures address topics like Aeneid Book 8 and Horace’s Ars Poetica.

• Grants/Awards: James Gilmore Fletcher Whitton Faculty Fellowship (2012), Loeb Classical Library Fellowship (2015-2016), SUTASA Teaching Award (2013).
• Students: Directed 15+ M.A. and Ph.D. theses, including works on Lucan, Lucretius, and Vergilian reception.

Labs/Teams: Collaborative projects include the Focus-Hackett Aeneid commentary series and editorial work for Vergilius. Active in professional organizations like the Vergilian Society and Classical Association of the Middle West and South.