Shadi Bartsch

Shadi Bartsch is the Helen A. Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago and Director Emerita of the Institute on the Formation of Knowledge (IFK). Her work bridges humanities and sciences through interdisciplinary research, focusing on Roman imperial literature, the reception of classical traditions in China, and the formation of knowledge across disciplines. She directed IFK from 2015-2024, fostering collaborations that transcended traditional academic boundaries through postdoctoral programs, an MA track, and a journal.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Classics, University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests include the interplay between sciences and humanities, Roman satire and philosophy, and the global reception of classical texts. Her translation of Vergil’s Aeneid (2020) was acclaimed internationally, while Persius: A Study in Food, Philosophy, and the Figural (2015) won the Goodwin Award of Merit. Current projects explore the mutual influence of scientific and humanistic thought in history, co-authored with Scott Montgomery, and the role of mutuality in interdisciplinary knowledge production.

Publications & Awards:

• 2023: Plato Goes to China (Princeton U.P.)
• 2022: Review essay on Apuleius’ Metamorphoses (AJP)
• Guggenheim Fellowship recipient
• Editor of KNOW journal and Seneca in Translation series

Grants & Labs: Spearheaded IFK’s cross-disciplinary grants program and co-edited seven essay collections, including Cambridge Companion to the Age of Nero. Current projects involve manuscripts on the legacy of ancient theories in modern science and humanities-sciences collaboration.

Active in academic leadership, she has held visiting roles at St. Andrews, Taipei, and Rome, and contributes to public intellectual discourse through media like Encyclopedia Britannica.