Julio Vega-Payne

Julio Cesar Vega-Payne, Assistant Professor of Classics, received his PhD from UC Santa Barbara in 2022 and spent two years as a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Classics at UCLA before his return to UCSB in 2024.

Dr. Vega-Payne specializes in archaic Greek poetry, but his focus is primarily the field of Homeric Studies. His research often corresponds with the poems of Hesiod, the Greek Epic Cycle, and the depiction of the Trojan war story in various genres including Greek Lyric and Greek Tragedy. Julio is especially interested in how these texts engage with the natural world and various environmental elements like the earth and the ocean, trees, rivers, mountains, and to what extent the story and its characters depend on their relationship with these nonhuman elements. He is currently working on a monograph that explores the intersection of time and the environment in Homer’s Iliad.

Other interests of his include the reception of Greek Mythology in Japanese Manga and Anime, the role of the Environmental Humanities in helping us think through environmental problems of our time, Environmental Justice, and exploring new pathways for making higher education more accessible. In his spare time you can find Julio supporting his football (fútbol/soccer) club, Arsenal FC, or reading and writing creative fiction. He warmly welcomes meeting with students who are interested in any of the above, or simply who are curious about the ins and outs of academic life.