I am an anthropologist who works on the consequences of collecting to understand why archaeology matters in the world.

In my writing, I examine the social and political history of archaeology to explore how and to what effect masses of objects were accumulated in museums. My book project focuses on one case history—Iranian patrimony stored in American institutions—theorizing outward from the particulars of US-Iran heritage diplomacy to argue for a new model of collections stewardship. In my teaching, I concentrate on the relevance of archaeology to contemporary life, focusing on the diverse ways that the material remains of the past are used across cultural, political, and economic domains, with an emphasis on the historical landscapes of St. Louis and the Middle Mississippi Valley. 

I am a Lecturer in Archaeology at Washington University in St. Louis in the Department of Anthropology and serve as the term chair for the Archaeology of Iran panel at the American Schools of Overseas Research annual meeting. Prior to my present professional roles, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED) in Istanbul, Turkey and earned my PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania.

My extensive research experience includes survey projects in Oman, Turkmenistan, and Hungary; excavations in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Mississippi; and archival-collections work across North America and Europe. From 2017-2019, I co-produced and edited twenty episodes of Anthropological Airwaves, a podcast that surveys multi-modal and politically-engaged anthropological scholarship. I have also done freelance research, writing, and editing for clients at think tanks, non-profits, and academic presses.