My public humanities practice connects art history with contemporary questions of culture, heritage, identity, and memory. For more than a decade, I have curated exhibitions and educational programs, organized interdisciplinary workshops, and collaborated with artists, educators, journalists, and other partners across cultural institutions, international organizations, and grassroots initiatives on four continents.
As the inaugural fellow of the International Interfaith Research Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University, I examine how historical narratives are mobilized in contemporary politics and extremist discourse, and develop pedagogical responses to these issues. This work grew out of the Medievalist Toolkit, a public history project I co-founded to examine misuses of this history and make research on relevant subjects more accessible to educators and broader audiences.
I was previously Director of Education and Outreach for the nonprofit ART WORKS Projects. Later, during my graduate studies, I worked with organizations including the United Nations, UNESCO, Amnesty International, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. This experience reflects my commitment to developing scholarship in conversation with the wider world.
As the inaugural fellow of the International Interfaith Research Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University, I examine how historical narratives are mobilized in contemporary politics and extremist discourse, and develop pedagogical responses to these issues. This work grew out of the Medievalist Toolkit, a public history project I co-founded to examine misuses of this history and make research on relevant subjects more accessible to educators and broader audiences.
I was previously Director of Education and Outreach for the nonprofit ART WORKS Projects. Later, during my graduate studies, I worked with organizations including the United Nations, UNESCO, Amnesty International, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. This experience reflects my commitment to developing scholarship in conversation with the wider world.
Co-Organized Events
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Modern Extremism and the Medieval World, undergraduate research workshop with a keynote address from Sammy Rangel, Cornell University, April 21–22, 2023
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History in a Time of Polarization: A Day of Conversation between Academic and Public-Facing Professionals, series of multidisciplinary discussion panels, Columbia University, March 20, 2022
- Medievalist Toolkit Working Session, symposium with medievalists, journalists, and social workers, Columbia University, April 28, 2018
Select Speaking Engagements
- “Forms of Infinity, Forms of Affinity,” the gathering, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, May 8, 2026 and Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, September 18, 2026, Creative Australia and the Australia Pavilion of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia
- “Uncovering Architectural Histories of Modern Mogadishu,” Invited Lecture for Hayaan Heritage, February 25, 2026
- Project Belonging Spring 2024 Mentor Panel, Teachers College, Columbia University, April 4, 2024
- “The Medievalist Toolkit: Building Bridges between Academics and Public-Facing Professionals,” Community Outreach Workshop, Medieval Academy of America, April 18, 2023
- “Collaboration and the Future of Medieval Studies,” IUDC Medieval Symposium, Fordham University, April 8, 2022
- “Medievalist Toolkit: Rethinking Outreach and Medieval Narratives,” Haskins Society Online Conference, Carleton College, November 1, 2020
- Multiple talks with Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows at Columbia University, Barnard College, and Northwestern University, 2017–present
Film & Media
- Associate Producer for the short film “Le Jardin d’Afrique: An interview with Rachid Koraïchi in the memorial garden and graveyard for migrants in Zarzis (Tunisia),” produced by Avinoam Shalem for Black Mediterranean – Artistic Encounters and Counter-narratives, a Getty Foundation Connecting Art Histories initiative (2024) [Link]
- Associate Producer for the short film “Women Mediating Peace,” produced by ART WORKS Projects for the United States Institute of Peace (2016) [Link]
Other experience
- Co-founder, The Medievalist Toolkit, 2017–present
- Rapporteur for the Public Humanities University Seminar: Expanding Scholarship and Pedagogy, Columbia University, 2022–24
- Co-author in Shephardson, Britton L. et al., “Terevaka Archaeological Outreach (TAO) 2016 field report: Exploring a new dimension,” Rapa Nui Journal 30, no. 2 (2016): 61–64. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/rnj.2016.0020.