ABOUT ME
I am currently the coordinator of the the EGYLandscape Project, a research program jointly funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the French National Research Agency (ANR), which is funded for 2019-2023. The EGYLandscape Project explores various issues related to the environmental, rural, agricultural, and archaeological history of Egypt during the thirteenth to eighteenth centuries. Additionally, the project is creating a GIS map of Egypt during that period, in order to make a new resource for scholars and students alike. In addition to helping guide the project, I am beginning research into Egypt’s historical climate during the medieval and early modern periods. This is a new project and is only just beginning, so more details will have to wait. For now, you can find out more about our project at www.egylandscape.org.
During four past semesters (Spring 2016; Fall/Spring 2017/18; Fall 2021), I served as an adjunct instructor of Middle Eastern history at the American University in Cairo, where I'm taught "Survey of Arab History." The course is an introduction to the history of the Arab world for undergraduates and is part of the university's core requirements. Additionally, I am continuing to work on a number of smaller research projects that involve my main interests: Mamluk economic/agricultural history and early Ottoman Cairo.
Previously, from 2015-2018, I was a research fellow at the Phillips-University of Marburg as part of the Dynamics of Transmission (DYNTRAN) Project. This project sought to study various aspects related to the transmission of knowledge among different family and social groups during the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries throughout the broader Middle East. In doing this, the project tried to not only better understand the ways in which knowledge was transmitted, but also to make further sense of the idea of the family during these centuries. (For more information, see: https://dyntran.hypotheses.org)
My role in this joint project included my doctoral research, which studies trends in book/manuscript production in early Ottoman Cairo. Specifically, it seeks to understand the drop-off in production and lack of locally-produced historical sources during the sixteenth century. As the DYNTRAN project wrapped up in the autumn of 2018, my PhD research continues with a goal of defending in spring 2023.
In addition to my academic interests, I like to travel a lot (check out my photos on Instagram), eat and cook good food, look at beautiful things, ceaselessly read, and explore and observe nature. I divide my time between Cairo - most of the year - and Marburg but originally hail from Central Pennsylvania. If you’re ever in Cairo or the Frankfurt Area, drop me a line.
FOR MY FULL CV, CLICK HERE
EDUCATION
PhD Candidate, Islamic Studies / History
Philipps-Universität Marburg - Marburg, Germany - Supervisor: Prof. Albrecht Fues
MA Arabic Studies, Middle Eastern History
The American University in Cairo - Cairo, Egypt - Supervisor: Prof. Leonor Fernandes
BA International Studies
The American University - Washington, DC, United States
