Positions
Postdoctoral Fellow, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, since 10/2024
Research Fellow, Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin, Germany, 2020-2024
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
Freie Universität Berlin | Berlin, Germany
B.A. Islamic Studies, 2010
Honors and Grants
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
Co-instructor (with Sadia Bajwa), “Islam, Politics and Education in Modern South Asia”, Humboldt University Berlin, Institute for South Asian Studies, 2024
Guest lecturer, “Research Methods: Working with Non-European Archival Collections”, University of Hamburg, , 2023
Guest lecturer, “Muslims in India: Beyond the Hindu Nation”, Martin Luther University of Halle/Wittenberg, 2022
Instructor, “Politics in the Modern Middle East”, Maria Sibylla Merian High School, Herrnhut, 2020
Co-instructor (with Muhannad Taha, Aleppo/Berlin), “Following the Prophet: An Introduction to the Islamic Tradition”, Cloister Volkenroda, 2019
Instructor, “Introduction to Shi’i Islam”, Augustum Anne High School, Goerlitz, 2019
Instructor, “One Faith, Many Faces: Muslims in Germany”, Protestant Academy of Saxony, Meissen, 2016-2019
Instructor, “Pakistan: Legal System and Governance”, Federal Ministry for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Freiburg i. B., 2017
Instructor, “Pakistan: History, Politics, Society”, Federal Ministry for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Freiburg i. B., 2016
Instructor, “Introduction to Research Methods in South Asian Studies”, Loyola Hall Lahore: Jesuit Mission in 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