Central Eurasian Studies

Education

Dual PhD (in progress), Central Eurasian Studies and Religious Studies, Indiana University
MA, Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University
MA, Asian Comparative Studies, California Institute of Integral Studies
MA, Italian, Middlebury College
BA, Classics, Grinnell College 

Research Interests

Intellectual history of Buddhism and Islam in Central Asia, with a focus on Buddhist scholasticism from Antiquity through the Middle Ages, early Vajrayāna, and the collaborative encounter of Buddhists with Islamic theologians in the early medieval period.   Secondarily engaged in research on the other religious traditions of Central Asia, especially Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Christianity.

Grants and Fellowships

Academic year 2020-21 FLAS Fellowship – Arabic
Summer 2020 FLAS Fellowship – Arabic
Academic year 2019-20 FLAS Fellowship – Arabic
Summer 2019 FLAS Fellowship – Arabic
Spring 2019 FLAS Fellowship – Persian 

Conference Presentations

“The Role of Mithra Among Early-Medieval Iranian Buddhists: Evidence and Rationale for Mithra’s Key Role in the Taking of Buddhist Vows,” The 26th Annual Association of Central Eurasian Students Conference, Indiana University, February 2020.

 “The Legitimacy of Belief and Its Political Dimensions: Evidence for the Central Asian Transmission of the Buddhist Doctrine of Momentariness and Its Role in the Formation of the Islamic Doctrine of Occasionalism,” The 25th Annual Association of Central Eurasian Students Conference, Indiana University, February 2019.

“Evolution of the Text of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra (Huayanjing) across Its Chinese Translations,” Dimensions of Huayan Buddhism Symposium, San Jose State University, May 2017. 

Languages

Sanskrit
Tibetan
Arabic
Chinese
Greek
Latin
Italian
French
Aramaic (basic)
Persian (basic)
English (native)