diff --git a/spec/messages.js b/spec/messages.js
index 4db9ffdf5..ff79ffb26 100644
--- a/spec/messages.js
+++ b/spec/messages.js
@@ -2273,6 +2273,76 @@
             done();
         }));
 
+        it("keeps track of the sender's role and affiliation",
+            mock.initConverse(
+                null, ['rosterGroupsFetched'], {},
+                async function (done, _converse) {
+
+            await test_utils.openAndEnterChatRoom(_converse, 'lounge', 'localhost', 'dummy');
+            const view = _converse.api.chatviews.get('lounge@localhost');
+            let msg = $msg({
+                from: 'lounge@localhost/dummy',
+                id: (new Date()).getTime(),
+                to: 'dummy@localhost',
+                type: 'groupchat'
+            }).c('body').t('I wrote this message!').tree();
+            await view.model.onMessage(msg);
+            await new Promise((resolve, reject) => view.once('messageInserted', resolve));
+            expect(view.model.messages.last().get('affiliation')).toBe('owner');
+            expect(view.model.messages.last().get('role')).toBe('moderator');
+            expect(view.el.querySelectorAll('.chat-msg').length).toBe(1);
+            expect(sizzle('.chat-msg__author', view.el).pop().classList.value.trim()).toBe('chat-msg__author chat-msg__me moderator');
+
+            let presence = $pres({
+                    to:'dummy@localhost/resource',
+                    from:'lounge@localhost/dummy',
+                    id: u.getUniqueId()
+            }).c('x').attrs({xmlns:'http://jabber.org/protocol/muc#user'})
+                .c('item').attrs({
+                    affiliation: 'member',
+                    jid: 'dummy@localhost/resource',
+                    role: 'participant'
+                }).up()
+                .c('status').attrs({code:'110'}).up()
+                .c('status').attrs({code:'210'}).nodeTree;
+            _converse.connection._dataRecv(test_utils.createRequest(presence));
+
+            msg = $msg({
+                from: 'lounge@localhost/dummy',
+                id: (new Date()).getTime(),
+                to: 'dummy@localhost',
+                type: 'groupchat'
+            }).c('body').t('Another message!').tree();
+            await view.model.onMessage(msg);
+            await new Promise((resolve, reject) => view.once('messageInserted', resolve));
+            expect(view.model.messages.last().get('affiliation')).toBe('member');
+            expect(view.model.messages.last().get('role')).toBe('participant');
+            expect(view.el.querySelectorAll('.chat-msg').length).toBe(2);
+            expect(sizzle('.chat-msg__author', view.el).pop().classList.value.trim()).toBe('chat-msg__author chat-msg__me participant');
+
+            presence = $pres({
+                    to:'dummy@localhost/resource',
+                    from:'lounge@localhost/dummy',
+                    id: u.getUniqueId()
+            }).c('x').attrs({xmlns:'http://jabber.org/protocol/muc#user'})
+                .c('item').attrs({
+                    affiliation: 'owner',
+                    jid: 'dummy@localhost/resource',
+                    role: 'moderator'
+                }).up()
+                .c('status').attrs({code:'110'}).up()
+                .c('status').attrs({code:'210'}).nodeTree;
+            _converse.connection._dataRecv(test_utils.createRequest(presence));
+            view.model.sendMessage('hello world');
+            await new Promise((resolve, reject) => view.once('messageInserted', resolve));
+            expect(view.model.messages.last().get('affiliation')).toBe('owner');
+            expect(view.model.messages.last().get('role')).toBe('moderator');
+            expect(view.el.querySelectorAll('.chat-msg').length).toBe(3);
+            expect(sizzle('.chat-msg__author', view.el).pop().classList.value.trim()).toBe('chat-msg__author chat-msg__me moderator');
+            done();
+        }));
+
+
         it("keeps track whether you are the sender or not",
             mock.initConverse(
                 null, ['rosterGroupsFetched'], {},
@@ -2287,6 +2357,7 @@
                     type: 'groupchat'
                 }).c('body').t('I wrote this message!').tree();
             await view.model.onMessage(msg);
+            await new Promise((resolve, reject) => view.once('messageInserted', resolve));
             expect(view.model.messages.last().get('sender')).toBe('me');
             done();
         }));
diff --git a/src/headless/converse-muc.js b/src/headless/converse-muc.js
index 2db7bf501..e96493173 100644
--- a/src/headless/converse-muc.js
+++ b/src/headless/converse-muc.js
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ converse.plugins.add('converse-muc', {
                 [text, references] = this.parseTextForReferences(text);
                 const origin_id = _converse.connection.getUniqueId();
 
-                return {
+                return this.addOccupantData({
                     'msgid': origin_id,
                     'origin_id': origin_id,
                     'from': `${this.get('jid')}/${this.get('nick')}`,
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ converse.plugins.add('converse-muc', {
                     'sender': 'me',
                     'spoiler_hint': is_spoiler ? spoiler_hint : undefined,
                     'type': 'groupchat'
-                };
+                });
             },
 
             getRoomJIDAndNick (nick) {
@@ -1068,6 +1068,17 @@ converse.plugins.add('converse-muc', {
                 }
             },
 
+            addOccupantData (attrs) {
+                if (attrs.nick) {
+                    const occupant = this.occupants.findOccupant({'nick': attrs.nick});
+                    if (occupant) {
+                        attrs['affiliation'] = occupant.get('affiliation');
+                        attrs['role'] = occupant.get('role');
+                    }
+                }
+                return attrs;
+            },
+
             /**
              * Handler for all MUC messages sent to this groupchat.
              * @private
@@ -1092,14 +1103,14 @@ converse.plugins.add('converse-muc', {
                         this.isChatMarker(stanza)) {
                     return _converse.api.trigger('message', {'stanza': original_stanza});
                 }
-                const attrs = await this.getMessageAttributesFromStanza(stanza, original_stanza);
 
+                const attrs = await this.getMessageAttributesFromStanza(stanza, original_stanza);
                 if (attrs.nick &&
                         !this.subjectChangeHandled(attrs) &&
                         !this.ignorableCSN(attrs) &&
                         (attrs['chat_state'] || !u.isEmptyMessage(attrs))) {
 
-                    const msg = this.messages.create(attrs);
+                    const msg = this.messages.create(this.addOccupantData(attrs));
                     this.incrementUnreadMsgCounter(msg);
                     if (forwarded && msg && msg.get('sender')  === 'me') {
                         msg.save({'received': (new Date()).toISOString()});
diff --git a/src/templates/message.html b/src/templates/message.html
index 11bb5c8dd..73e588c4f 100644
--- a/src/templates/message.html
+++ b/src/templates/message.html
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     <div class="chat-msg__content {[ if (o.is_me_message) { ]}chat-msg__content--action{[ } ]}">
         <span class="chat-msg__heading">
             {[ if (o.is_me_message) { ]}<time timestamp="{{{o.isodate}}}" class="chat-msg__time">{{{o.pretty_time}}}</time>{[ } ]}
-            <span class="chat-msg__author chat-msg__{{{o.sender}}}">{[ if (o.is_me_message) { ]}**{[ }; ]}{{{o.username}}}</span>
+            <span class="chat-msg__author chat-msg__{{{o.sender}}} {{{o.type === 'groupchat' && o.role ? o.role : ''}}}">{[ if (o.is_me_message) { ]}**{[ }; ]}{{{o.username}}}</span>
             {[ if (!o.is_me_message) { ]}
                 {[o.roles.forEach(function (role) { ]} <span class="badge badge-secondary">{{{role}}}</span> {[ }); ]}
                 <time timestamp="{{{o.isodate}}}" class="chat-msg__time">{{{o.pretty_time}}}</time>