Emma Dench, McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics, will serve as interim dean for the 2017–2018 academic year.
A scholar of Roman Republican and early Imperial history, Dench is an outstanding mentor of graduate students, having served for many years as director of graduate studies in the Department of the Classics. She possesses a deep and nuanced understanding of the needs of graduate students, and in 2015, won the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award.
“I was very honored to be asked to take on this interim role, because I have always had huge admiration for GSAS,” said Dench. “I look forward to continuing the excellent work of Dean Meng in serving the needs of our exceptional graduate community this coming year.”
Dench received a BA with a “double first” in classics and a DPhil in ancient history from the University of Oxford. From 1992 to 2006, she was promoted through the ranks of lecturer, senior lecturer, and reader to professor of ancient history at Birkbeck College, University of London, and in 2007, she joined the FAS as McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics.
“Professor Dench is eminently qualified to oversee GSAS’s academic and administrative operations,” said Xiao-Li Meng, dean of GSAS. “I am extremely grateful that she has agreed to take on this interim role.”
