I am an assistant professor of Islamic art and medieval Mediterranean in the Department of Art History, and a core faculty member in the Middle East and North African Studies Program. As a pedagogue, I teach transregional and transhistorical courses on Islamic art, architecture, and archaeology, as well as visual and material cultures of the wider Mediterranean world, which provide students with visual literacy, critical thinking, and written expression.
During the 2025-26 Searle Fellows Program, I met outstanding individuals who generously dedicated their time to support faculty through teaching, mentoring, and guidance. It was wonderful to learn about their work, experience, favorite readings, interests, and teaching philosophies and methods. I am especially grateful to my mentor, Caroline Eagan (Assistant Professor in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese), for sharing her expertise as a tenure-line academic and providing valuable feedback throughout my Searle Fellow year.
I would like to thank the dedicated staff at the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching: Kate Flom Derrick (Assistant Director of Reflective Pedagogy), Veronica Womack (Associate Director of High-Impact Teaching), Michael Faegan (Searle Fellows Distinguished Faculty Mentor; Professor Emeritus, Preventive Medicine), Jennifer Keys (Senior Director of the Searle Center), Lina Rombalsky Eskew (Senior Assistant Director of Assessment), Denise Drane Senior (Associate Director of Research and Innovation), Laura Ferdinand (Assistant Director of Content and Communications) and Lauri Dietz (former Director of Pedagogy and Curricular Development at Northwestern University and current Executive Director of the Center for Faculty Development at Loyola University of Chicago).