I’m an historian of art and architecture with expertise in the medieval Middle East and North African (MENA) and global Islamic (or Islamicate) societies and civilization.
As a researcher and a consultant I bridge games/entertainment, GLAM, and the academy:
- I help creative teams making games and entertainment inspired by Islamic civilization
- I help museum and cultural heritage institutions ensure their public-facing content is accurate and culturally sensitive
- I help women, people of colour, and others strategize and achieve their academic goals
- I create unique learning experiences bridging digital technologies, GLAM, and Islamic art
Want to know more? You can find my blog posts here.
I’m the founding leader of the Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections, and Senior Lecturer in Islamic Art at the University of Edinburgh. I earned my PhD at MIT in 2005 in the History, Theory & Criticism of Architecture and the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture.
Why do I do work across games, GLAM, and the academy?
I’m committed to public education and to making accurate, inclusive knowledge about global art and history widely and freely accessible to all, in and out of the academy. With one exception, my doctoral institution MIT, all the schools and universities I have attended in my life are public institutions.
My commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and decolonizing work is shaped by my personal background and perspectives. I am a cis-female-geeky-introverted-mixed/WOC/BAME-immigrant-mom-enthusiastic amateur musician from a working-class family, who was born in the Philippines and spent formative years in Italy and the American South.
A snapshot of my academic path
Before arriving in Edinburgh in 2018 I was Associate Professor of Art History with tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I taught Islamic art history since 2006. Before that I held visiting lectureships at Boston Architectural College, Dartmouth College, and Brandeis University.
Before starting the PhD I was interested in preserving America’s historic buildings and urban fabric. I completed my MA in Architectural History and Historic Preservation at the University of Virginia, where I enjoyed working with the architectural conservators on restoration projects at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. I started my academic journey as an English Lit major.
When I’m not working I most enjoy listening to and making music, exploring the landscapes of Scotland, and traveling with family and friends.