Mara Nicosia

Dr. Mara Nicosia is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Padua (Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World) under the ERC Starting Grant FragArist. Previously, she held a British Academy Newton International Fellowship at Durham University (Department of Classics and Ancient History), focusing on Syriac rhetoric's intersection with Greco-Roman and Arabic traditions. Her research explores Syriac intellectual history, Semitic languages, and the transmission of Aristotelian thought. She earned her PhD from the University of Naples 'L'Orientale' with a thesis on Syriac rhetorical vocabulary between Greek and Arabic influences.

Her work integrates philological analysis with historical linguistics, emphasizing language contact between Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. Notable contributions include the edited volume Syriac Lexis and Lexica (2024) and studies on Antony of Tagrit's rhetorical treatise. Nicosia has taught courses on ancient rhetoric and co-organized conferences like 'Syriac Studies in the UK' (2024). She holds grants exceeding £114k and has been awarded the Seal of Excellence (2025) and the Gorgias Book Grant (2019).