Dr. Emily O Brien

Biography

Emily O'Brien joined Simon Fraser University in the fall of 2005 and has roots in Toronto, where she completed her BA at the University of Toronto. She then pursued graduate studies at Brown University in Rhode Island, where she focused on Renaissance Italy. Dr. O'Brien has taught at Harvard's Expository Writing Program and received her PhD in History in spring 2005. She is Canadian born but considers Italy her intellectual home, with a strong focus on the Italian Renaissance, particularly the 15th-century humanism, politics, and papacy. Her research centers on Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II (1458–64). She has published a book detailing the autobiographical account of his pontificate and is currently in the process of creating a Latin-English edition of his works. Her ongoing studies include examining Cicero's influence on Renaissance politics and Neo-Latin historical epics.

Research Interests