Douglas Cairns
Professor of Classics · College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences · University of Edinburgh
Quick answer: Douglas Cairns is Professor of Classics at University of Edinburgh. Douglas Cairns shows an active PhD hiring signal as of 2026-09-11.
⭐ Open to PhD supervision enquiries? Yes. Areas of interest for supervision: (i) Human Beings in the Iliad; (ii) Reading Quintus Reading Homer; (ii) Eros in the Greek Novel; (iv) Artemis in Magna Graecia; (v) Religion in Herodotus; (vi) Psychological Imagery in Ap. Rhod.; (vii) Xenophon’s Theory of Moral Education; (viii) Fate and Determinism in Sophocles’ Theban Plays; (ix) Demeter in Hellenistic P
Research interests
I work on Greek society and ethics, especially the emotions, and especially as these are reflected in Greek epic, tragedy, and lyric poetry. Watch a short video of Professor Cairns speaking about his research interests - Media Hopper. Current research interests: Ancient Greek emotion and emotion theory; classics and affective science; honour and recognition; trust in ancient Greek literature; class struggle in ancient Greek democracies.
Selected publications (since 2023)
‘Эмоции и Ценности в Античности: Уроки для Современного Общества’ (‘Emotions and Values in Antiquity: Lessons for Contemporary Society’), Культура и Религия 9, December 2025, 60–7
Introduction (with Nick Bouras and Eugene Sadler Smith), in D. Cairns, N. Bouras , and E. Sadler-Smith (eds.), Hubris, Ancient and Modern: Concepts, Comparisons, Connections (Cambridge: CUP, 2025), 1–30
‘Lucky Fools: Luck, Risk, and Merit in the Ancient Greek Concept of Hybris’, in D. Cairns, N. Bouras , and E. Sadler-Smith (eds.), Hubris, Ancient and Modern: Concepts, Comparisons, Connections (Cambridge: CUP, 2025), 57–68
‘Doing Wrong in Secret: Immoralism and Emotion in Hippolytus’, in D. Stuttard (ed.), Looking at Hippolytus (London: Bloomsbury, 2025), 109–21
‘Translating Ancient Greek Emotions’, in C. L. Soar
Frequently asked questions
Is Douglas Cairns hiring PhD students at University of Edinburgh?
Yes. As of 2026-09-11, Douglas Cairns's faculty page shows a PhD hiring signal: Open to PhD supervision enquiries? Yes. Areas of interest for supervision: (i) Human Beings in the Iliad; (ii) Reading Quintus Reading Homer; (ii) Eros in the Greek Novel; (iv) Artemis in Magna Graeci.
What does Douglas Cairns research?
I work on Greek society and ethics, especially the emotions, and especially as these are reflected in Greek epic, tragedy, and lyric poetry. Watch a short video of Professor Cairns speaking about his research interests - Media Hopper. Current research interests: Ancient Greek emotion and emotion the
Data last updated: 2026-09-11 · Source: phd-match.com faculty database.
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