Position

Research Fellow, Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin, Germany (since 2020)

Education

Princeton University | Princeton, NJ

Ph.D. Religion, Islam Subfield, 2019

M.A. Religion, Islam Subfield, 2015

University of Oxford | Oxford, UK

M.St. (Master of Studies) Global and Imperial History, South Asia Subfield, 2012

Free University Berlin | Berlin, Germany

B.A. Islamic Studies, 2010

Honors

DAVO (German Middle East Studies Association), Award for Best Dissertation in the Field

Association for Asian Studies (AAS), South Asia Council, Graduate Paper Prize for Best Research Paper

Princeton University, J. D. Rockefeller, Jr. Merit Fellowship

Princeton University, Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS), Dissertation Completion Fellowship

Princeton University, PIIRS, Research grant

Princeton University, PIIRS, Language Acquisition Grant

Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft, Travel scholarship

American Institute for Pakistan Studies, Travel grant

Whiting Foundation, Travel grant

Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst, Germany, National Merit Scholarship

Teaching and Mentorship

Teaching

• Guest lecturer: “Research Methods: Working with Non-European Archival Collections”, University of Hamburg, Germany, 2023

• Guest lecturer: “Muslims in India: Beyond the Hindu Nation”, Martin Luther University of Halle/Wittenberg, Germany, 2022

• Instructor, “Politics in the Modern Middle East”, Maria Sibylla Merian High School, Herrnhut, Germany, 2020

• Co-instructor (with Muhannad Taha, Aleppo/Berlin), “Following the Prophet: An Introduction to the Islamic Tradition”, Cloister Volkenroda, Germany, 2019

• Instructor, “Introduction to Shi’i Islam”, Augustum Anne High School, Goerlitz, Germany, 2019

• Instructor, “One Faith, Many Faces: Muslims in Germany”, Protestant Academy of Saxony, Meissen, Germany, 2016-2019

• Instructor, “Pakistan: Legal System and Governance”, Federal Ministry for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Freiburg i. B., Germany, 2017

• Instructor, “Pakistan: History, Politics, Society”, Federal Ministry for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Freiburg i. B., Germany, 2016

• Instructor, “Introduction to Research Methods in South Asian Studies”, Loyola Hall Lahore: Jesuit Mission in Pakistan, Pakistan, 2011

Undergraduate Research Mentor

• Asim Shaukat, “The Idea of Pakistan and the Christian Leadership of Punjab”, FCCU Lahore, Pakistan (2018, Summa Cum Laude)

Teacher Training

• Teaching Seminar, “Integrated Course Design”, McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, Princeton University

Leadership Positions

Co-Founder & Co-Director, Kompetenznetz Islam und Gesellschaft

• Co-founded and -directed a think tank and consulting agency with a focus on knowledge transfer on Islam and the Muslim world, providing briefings, seminars and workshops for government institutions, journalists, educators and civil society groups in Germany (Website)

Co-Founder & Co-Director, Omid-e Punjab - A Home for the Disabled

• Established and directed a multinational, government-registered, fully volunteer-run NGO with an annual project volume of ~20,000 Euros in support of a shelter home for adults with mental disabilities in Lahore, Pakistan

Leipzig Refugee Council

• Assisted asylum seekers from Muslim-majority contexts with counseling, live translation/interpretation, capacity building and resource cultivation

Founding Member, Princeton South Asia Graduate Workshop

• Set up a university-funded academic platform for graduate students to discuss work in progress and organize lectures, conferences and other events

Board Member, Princeton Islamic Studies Colloquium

• Organized a funded bi-weekly discussion group for recent topics in research on Islam with ca. 25 members across 5 departments

Board Member, Princeton Religion Department Graduate Workshop

• Organized a forum for graduate students of the Religion Department to practice knowledge transfer, acquire teaching skills, and discuss recent work

Graduate Representative, Princeton Sustainability Committee

• Represented graduate student interests with regard to sustainability and environmental issues on the campus of Princeton University vis-à-vis university administrators

Board Member, Pehchaan, Princeton Pakistan Society

• Organized social and cultural awareness events focused on contemporary Pakistan, including a funded photo exhibit showcasing upcoming journalistic talent from the country, a selected arthouse film series on historical and social issues, a discussion panel on development aid, and media outreach