My main interest is in linking materials science research strategies with archaeology, more specifically the integration of chemical and mineralogical techniques into studying the technology of production in ancient high-temperature industries (glass, metal, and ceramics).

Embedded within this theme, I focus on transitional periods within the greater history of the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds: the shift from Hellenistic to Roman, Roman to Byzantine, and Byzantine to Islamic civilizations/cultural spheres. What are the implications of transitional trends for technology and trade?

My primary area of expertise is in glassmaking technology and change in the Levant, and I have worked as an artifact supervisor and researcher for a variety of archaeological projects. Conservation is a new aspect of research that I am beginning to integrate into my studies, as materials analysis is closely tied to both preservation and investigation.

Although in the past my work has primarily concentrated on the Greco-Roman period in the greater Mediterranean region, since beginning my studies at Brown I have become fascinated by the ancient Muslim world — in particular, the ‘peripheral’ regions such as al-Andalus (Muslim Spain), the Maghrib of North Africa, and the Silk Road region of Central Asia. Islamic archaeology is an (re)emerging field, one in which there are exciting research avenues for exploring cultural interactions across both time and space.