Welcome!

I am a historian of media, popular culture, and the Middle East committed to crafting impactful stories and guiding engaging classes.

I hold a B.A. in Arabic, Middle East, and Islamic Studies from Duke University and was a fellow at the Center for Arabic Study Abroad in downtown Cairo during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. I received my Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2017 and am currently serving as a Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies at Dartmouth College.

I am the modern history book review editor for the International Journal of Middle East Studies and am passionate about empowering fellow writers, including first time authors, through Ideas to Ink.

My interdisciplinary research has received generous support from the Social Science Research Council and the American Research Center in Egypt, and has inspired widespread media coverage across multiple languages. My writing has appeared on news outlets, like New Lines Magazine, and in peer-reviewed publications, such as Current History.

My award-winning book, Media of the Masses: Cassette Culture in Modern Egypt (Stanford University Press), shares the extraordinary story of an ordinary technology. An Arabic translation debuted with Dar El Shorouk at the 2025 Cairo International Book Fair and went on to become a best-seller in Egypt.