I am a historian of South Asian and Persianate art and history, and my work examines the ways visual culture, politics, and religion operate together in early modern South Asia. My research focuses on the Mughal Empire’s engagement with the broader Persianate and Islamic worlds through manuscript patronage, portraiture, and architecture. I am particularly interested in how dynamic visual and textual media were employed to construct imperial authority and shape cultural identity.

My scholarship frames Mughal art and historiography within the broader networks connecting South Asia, Iran, and Central Asia. Through this perspective, I trace how artistic and intellectual exchanges informed political thought, shaped conceptions of kingship, and guided the aesthetic vocabulary of empire. By treating the manuscript as an instrument of knowledge, my research illuminates how the Mughal court articulated authority, navigated religious plurality, and mobilized Persianate literary culture in material form. My advanced fluency in Persian allows me to read painter-scribe notes, colophons, and marginalia with precision, offering detailed insights into workshop practices and the transmission of textual knowledge across Persianate and Indic contexts.

Before entering academia, I founded and managed a successful international jewelry business for nearly a decade. Overseeing every aspect of the enterprise - including design, production, logistics, financial planning, and client relations - required meticulous coordination, strategic thinking, and the ability to manage complex operations. I bring this same clarity of focus and disciplined approach to my scholarly work.

I have presented my research at major national and international conferences, with upcoming talks scheduled at the Annual International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the International Medieval Congress in Leeds, United Kingdom, among others.

My research draws extensively on manuscript and codicological study. I have examined Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Ethiopic manuscripts in special collections across the United States and internationally, including the Kislak Center for Special Collections at the University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Australia, Sydney University Library Special Collections, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the State Library of New South Wales. In Australia, I had the opportunity to study Islamicate collections in depth, contributing both to scholarly understanding and to enhancing documentation of holdings that are often understudied.

My research also engages with the intellectual history of the early modern Atlantic world. For example, my study of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library, including his copy of the Qur’an, enabled me to explore the relationship between Enlightenment thought, Islam, and the development of religious freedom in early America. This work reflects my broader commitment to connecting artistic and intellectual traditions across cultures.

I have received advanced professional training in rare books and special collections through the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia and the California Rare Book School at UCLA.

I currently serve as an instructor of History at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, where I teach courses in South Asian history, Islamic art, global cultural exchange, and American history. My teaching emphasizes careful engagement with primary sources, visual literacy, and experiential learning through museum study. I also mentor undergraduate researchers, supporting them in developing and publicly presenting their work.

Overall, my intellectual pursuits are grounded in a sustained commitment to knowledge creation and dissemination, reflecting a professional ethos centered on advancing understanding through careful, rigorous inquiry.

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Education

• Master of Liberal Arts in History, University of St. Thomas (2020–2022), Highest Honors

  • Thesis: Patronage of Knowledge Production: The Mughal Imperial Library and the Politics of Legitimizing Rule

• Bachelor of Arts in History, University of St. Thomas (2009–2019), Academic Distinction

  • Honors Thesis: Gulbadan Begum: A Study of Her Memoir and Its Contribution to Mughal Court Historiography in Relation to Abul Fazl and Badauni

• University of Houston Honors College (2009) – transferred to University of St. Thomas

• Associate of Arts in Humanities, Lee College (2005–2007), Hall of Fame inductee

Languages

• English – Native

• Hindi – Advanced (verbal & written)

• Punjabi – Advanced (verbal & written)

• Persian – Advanced (reading & writing)

• Urdu – Proficient (reading & writing)

• Sanskrit – Beginner (reading comprehension)

• Arabic – Beginner (reading & writing)

Language Training

• Persian Language Studies, MTO International Persian School – Houston Center (2024–Present)

• Persian I, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (2025)