Her research focuses on women, the family, and sexuality in ancient Greece and Rome, particularly in Latin literature.
In 2001, she was a consultant for the PBS series The Roman Empire in the First Century, making an appearance on every episode aired.
[3] Hallett has been honored by the publishing of a festschrift (a celebratory collection of articles) for her contributions to the study of Roman literature and culture.
[7] In April 2018, a one-day international colloquium on women and classical scholarship was held at the University of Maryland to honor her retirement.
[8] In 2023 she, along with her co-editors Bartolo Natoli and Angela Pitts, won the Bolchazy-Carducci Pedagogy Award for the book Ancient Women Writers of Greece and Rome.
[9] Throughout her career, Hallett authored (and co-authored) many ovationes (celebratory speeches written in Latin) of her fellow classical scholars.