Career & Education

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, including the Annual International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the International Medieval Congress in Leeds, United Kingdom, among others.

My research relies extensively on manuscript and codicological study across Persianate, Islamicate, and South Asian traditions. I have conducted research in special collections, libraries, and museums in the United States and internationally, including:

  • Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsalvania

  • Bryn Mawr College

  • Haverford College

  • Cleveland Museum of Art

  • Harvard Art Museums

  • Houghton Library

  • Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

  • Yale Center for British Art

  • National Gallery of Australia in Canberra

  • University of Sydney Library Special Collections

  • Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

  • State Library of New South Wales, Sydney

These collections have enabled me to work directly with Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Ethiopic manuscripts while developing expertise in codicology, manuscript circulation, workshop practices, and the transmission of textual knowledge across Persianate and Indic worlds. In Australia, I also contributed to improving documentation and scholarly visibility for understudied Islamicate holdings.

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, the California Rare Book School at UCLA and the Australia and New Zealand Rare Book School.

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.

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)

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

  • Scholarship Recipient, Rare Book School (2026) — Awarded support to attend the 2026 summer program in rare books and manuscript studies.

  • Scholarship Recipient, Rare Book School (2025) — Awarded research funding for manuscript and special collections work in Philadelphia.

  • Scholarship Recipient, California Rare Book School (2024) — Awarded support to attend a program in rare books and special collections.

  • Graduation Recognition for Academic Excellence in History, Phi Alpha Theta (2022).

  • William J. Flynn Center for Irish Studies Summer Study Abroad Scholarship (2019) — Supported month-long study in Ireland and Northern Ireland, including research visits to the Chester Beatty Library.

  • Recognition by the United States Congress (2009) for “Outstanding Contribution to Houston’s South Asian Community,” including a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol; presented by John Culberson.

  • Recognition from the United States Senate (2009) for leadership in Houston’s South Asian community; presented by John Cornyn.

  • Civic Recognition from the City of Houston (2009) for philanthropic service to the South Asian Carnival; presented by Bill White.

  • Recipient of the Fr. Francis E. Monaghan Transfer Scholarship, University of St. Thomas (2009); Transfer Excellence Scholarship, University of Houston (2009); and Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Scholarship, University of Houston (2009).

  • Student Editor, Touchstone, Texas State Historical Association (2008).

  • Named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges (2008); recipient of the All-State Academic Team and USA Today All-Academic Team (Texas) honors (2008).

  • Honors Program Award Recipient and Student President, Lee College (2008); inducted into the Lee College Hall of Fame (2008); recipient of the Outstanding Honors Program Student Award (2008).

  • Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Scholarship Recipient (2006).