Education:  Joan Tasker Grimbert earned her B.A. in French from Middlebury College (1968) and her Ph.D. in Romance Philology from the University of Chicago (1981). Having spent her junior year in Paris, she returned there after graduation to work at the American Chamber of Commerce, Chrysler France, and Plant Location International (1969-71).  She also spent two years there doing research for her dissertation and auditing courses at the University of Paris-IV (1977-79).

Teaching and Administration: While a graduate student at the University of Chicago, Grimbert taught for two years as a lecturer. She then taught at Hollins College and the University of Oklahoma before coming to CUA in 1987. She became Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures in 2004.  She has taught a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses, including Old French; Old Occitan; Saints and Sinners; Chrétien de Troyes & Marie de France; Medieval French Lyric; Medieval and Renaissance Women Writers; Tristan and Iseult: 12th to 20th c.; Romance of Arthur in Literature, Art, & Film; The Roman noir in French lit. & film; French Civilization; Business French; Phonetics. In spring 2004, she organized and taught “Sacred and Secular Music in Medieval Culture” with a colleague in the School of Music; it brought the acclaimed early music ensemble, Anonymous 4 to campus for a concert, two classes, and a weeklong residency.

Research and Publications:  As a specialist in Arthurian Literature and medieval lyric, Grimbert has written, edited, or co-edited five books: A Companion to Chrétien de Troyes (2005), Philologies Old and New: Essays in Honor of Peter Florian Dembowski (2001), Songs of the Women Trouvères (2001) Tristan and Isolde: A Casebook (1995; 2002), and "Yvain" dans le miroir: Une Poétique de la Réflexion dans le "Chevalier au lion" de Chrétien de Troyes (1988). Her current project concerns the conjunction between lyric and romance.  She has written numerous book essays, primarily on the Tristan legend and Arthurian film. Her articles and reviews have appeared in Romance Philology, Medioevo Romanzo, Speculum, French Review, French Forum, Romance Languages Annual, TENSO, Tristania, Anales Galdosianos, and Arthuriana.

Service: Professor Grimbert has been active in the International Arthurian Society, serving presently as the International Treasurer after been secretary-treasurer of the North American Branch for 6 years.  She was on the Executive Committee of MLA’s Medieval French Division for 5 years and a delegate to the General Assembly. She is also a member of AATF, International Courtly Literature Society, Tristan Society, Marie de France Society, and Société Rencesvals.  At CUA she serves on the Academic Senate where she also served a term on the Honorary Degree Committee.