ABOUT ME

I am a researcher of the history of the Middle East and sciences…

specializing in agriculture and the environment. In January 2025, I will be starting a position at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Sciences, where I will be working on metals and minerals in Egypt’s medieval and early modern history. My recent PhD dissertation explored the transmission of knowledge and paucity of historical sources during Egypt’s sixteenth-century transition from the Mamluk Sultanate to the Ottoman Empire.

From 2019-2023, I was the project coordinator of the EGYLandscape Project, which investigated Egypt’s environmental history and past landscapes from the 13th to 18th centuries. The project explored various issues related to environmental, rural, agricultural, archaeological, and other related studies. EGYLandscape developed a GIS map of Egypt across the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, in order to create a new open-source resource for scholars and students alike (available at: https://egylandscape.mmsh.fr).

Previously, from 2015-2018, I was a research fellow of the Dyntran (Dynamics of Transmission) Project, which sought to study various aspects related to the transmission of knowledge among different family and social groups during the 15th to 17th 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 (see: https://dyntran.hypotheses.org).

Alongside these projects, I have been involved with other research groups including TransOttomanica and the Taziz Science Cooperation. I have written on a variety of issues related to my interests, which can be found on my publications page. 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 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. 

In addition to my academic interests, I like to travel, 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.

Check out my CV here: Curriculum vitae

EDUCATION

PhD - Islamic Studies (History) - Philipps-Universität Marburg - Supervisor: Prof. Albrecht Fuess

MA - Arabic Studies (Middle East History) - The American University in Cairo - Supervisor: Prof. Leonor Fernandes

BA - International Studies - American University