Previous Ph.D. Outcomes
When they finish their degrees, Ph.D. graduates will be qualified to seek positions in departments of Middle Eastern Studies or area studies, as specialists in one or possibly more languages and cultures, or, in many cases, in other disciplinary homes, such as History, Media Studies, or Comparative Literature. They will also be well prepared for careers in related fields that require advanced expertise in international humanistic studies.
Our doctoral program placed 93% of their Ph.D. graduates in academic positions, with the college average being 75%. Although graduate programs in Middle Eastern Studies are not ranked officially in national reviews, we are nationally and internationally recognized as an academically excellent program that supports its students during their studies and places them in appropriate positions upon graduation. University reports have also identified that the placement rate of area studies departments, such as MELC, have higher academic placement rates than disciplinary departments in the Social Sciences and Humanities.
In the past few years, students who have received a Ph.D. in DMES have taken tenure-track positions at a number of universities and colleges including Brigham Young University, University of North Carolina, Pennsylvania State University, University of Massachusetts, University of Tennessee, University of Sydney, Smith College, University of Rhode Island, West Point, George Washington University, Rutgers, and more. Our Ph.D. graduates have also secured positions in international organizations such as MENA, the Brookings Institute, and AMIDEAST.
2022
Ryan Fan, PhD, Linguistics
Supervisors: Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal
Arabic Program Designer, San Francisco Unified School District
American Council of Learned Societies Leading Edge Fellow working as Advocacy and Campaigns Manager at Majdal, an Arab Community Center
Radwa El Barouni, PhD, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisors: Elizabeth Richmond-Garza and Kristen Brustad
Lecturer in Foreign Languages, Arabic Coordinator, Arabic Language Program - University of Pennsylvania
2020
Estefanía Valenzuela Mochón, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisors: Kristen Brustad and Benjamin Brower
Postdoctoral Researcher, The School for Arabic Studies (EEA)
Matthew Chovanec, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisors: Kristen Brustad and Jeannette Okur
International Director for Southwest Asia and North Africa, College Board
2019
Claire Cooley, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisors: Blake Atwood and Shanti Kumar
Postdoc Fellow at the Center for the Humanities at Tufts University
Paul Edgar, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisors: Jonathan Kaplan, Bruce Wells, Jeremi Suri
Interim Director at Clements Center for National Security
Laura Fish, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisors: Caroline Frick and Blake Atwood
Acquisitions Editor, Syracuse University Press
Seerwan Hariry, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Karen Grumberg
Assistant Professor of Arabic at Georgetown University-Qatar
Sigrid Kjaer, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisors: John Huehnergard and Azfar Moin
Library Associate at Duke Divinity School; Duke University
Navdeep Sokhey, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad and Barbara Bullock
Assistant Professor of Arabic, Virginia Tech
Jack Weinbender, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisors: John Huehnergard and Jonathan Kaplan
Programmer Analyst at National Instruments
2018
Niaz Aziz, Ph.D., Linguistics
Supervisors: Mohammad A. Mohammad and Jurgen K. Streeck
Assistant Lecturer of Arabic, Soran University
Sarah Baker, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisors: Jo Ann Hackett, Na’ama Pat-El
Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) at Duke University
Thomas Leddy-Cecere, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisors: Kristen Brustad, Daniel Law
Associate Professor of Sociolinguistics and Associate Dean of Pedagogy and Advising, Bennington College
Shehnaz Haqqani, Ph.D., Islamic Studies
Supervisor: Hina Azam
Assistant Professor, Mercer University
Juan Pinto, MA, Hebrew Linguistics
Supervisor: Esther Raizen
Graduate Student in Educational Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Joshua Sears, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisors: Jonathan Kaplan, Jo Ann Hackett
Assistant Professor, Brigham Young University
Michael Turner, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Assistant Professor of Arabic, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Daniel Wang, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisor: Jonathan Kaplan
Adjunct Professor, Vida House, Austin
2017
Lamesse Ahmad, MA., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Graduate Student at University of Arizona
Mona Alshihry, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Assistant Professor, Languages and Translation, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
Rachel Green, Ph.D., Middle Eastern
Supervisor: Karen Grumberg
Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Benjamin Kantor, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisor: John Huehnergard
Reader in Hebrew, Cambridge University
Jason Schroepfer, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Assistant Professor of Arabic, Virginia Military Institute
Phillip Weston Stokes, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Associate Professor of Arabic, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Rawad Wehbe, MA., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Tarek El-Ariss
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Utah
2016
Dena Afrasiabi, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Blake Atwood
Publications Editor, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas Press
Kevin Butts, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Ph.D. Candidate, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Yale University
Nesrine Basheer, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Assistant Professor of Teaching | Arabic, University of British Columbia
Reema Barakat, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Assistant Professor Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin
Kirsten Beck, Ph.D. Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Samer Ali
Assistant Professor and Arabic Language Coordinator, CUNY Queen's College
Priscilla Cunha, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Arabic Teacher, Austin High School
Ryan Davis, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisor: John Huehnergard
Adjunct, Brigham Young University
Anna Ziajka Stanton, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Tarek El-Ariss
Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Penn State University
Corinne Stokes, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Senior Lecturer of Arabic, New York University, Abu Dhabi
Aren Wilson-Wright, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisors: Na’ama Pat-El, Jo Ann Hackett
Lecturer in Northwest Semitic Philology, University of Chicago
2015
Anthony Edwards, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Associate Professor of Arabic, Washington and Lee University
Mahyar Entezari, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, M.R. Ghanoonparvar
Lecturer in Persian Language and Culture, University of Pennsylvania
Valerie Montes, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Media Analyst, TechOp Solutions
Jung Min Seo, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Esther Raizen
Lecturer of Arabic, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Phillip Zhakevich, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisor: John Huehnergard
Assistant Professor of The Old Testament at the Master's Seminary
Emilie Zuniga, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Arabic Pedagogy Consultant
2014
Shaylyn Carey, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Portfolio Director at Harvard Graduate School of Education
Uri Kolodney, MA, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Karen Grumberg
Film and Video and Hebrew, Jewish, and Israel Liaison Librarian, University of Texas Libraries
Muna Rehman, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Senior Associate at Strategy&
Julie Yelle, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Senior Faculty Research Specialist, University of Maryland
2013
Kevin Burnham, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Staff Data Engineer, Zen Business
Joanna Caravita, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Esther Raizen
Lecturer of Modern Hebrew, Smith College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Mount Holyoke College
Bud Kaufmann, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Teaching Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Nastaran Kherad, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: M.R. Ghanoonparvar
Associate Professor, University of Montana
Summer Loomis, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisors: Esther Raizen, Kristen Brustad
Author
Alexander Magidow, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Senior Learning Experience Designer, BRAZE
Melanie Magidow, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Samer Ali
Founder, Marhaba Language Expertise
Drew Paul, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Tarek El-Ariss
Associate Professor of Arabic, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
2012
Kristine Anderson, MA, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Research Assistant and Publications Editor Brookings Institution, Project on US Relations with the Islamic World
Andrey Bredstein, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Karen Grumberg
Instructor of Yiddish, Emory University
Greg Ebner, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Department Head of Department of Foreign Languages, United States Military Academy
Martin Isleem, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Associate Professor of Arabic, Bucknell University
Michael Fares, MA, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Samer Ali
Instructional Associate Professor of Arabic, University of Houston
Cory Jorgensen, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Samer Ali
Associate Professor of Arabic, George Washington University
Kaley Kenner, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Samer Ali
Instructor of Arabic, Middlebury College
Benjamin Koerber, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Tarek El-Ariss
Associate Professor of Arabic and Literature, Rutgers University
John Weinert, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Lecturer of Arabic, Smith College
2011
Blake Atwood, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: M.R. Ghanoonparvar
Associate Professor of Media Studies, American University, Beirut
Andrey A. Bredstein, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Karen Grumberg
Instructor in Yiddish Language and Literature, Emory University
Peter Glanville, Ph.D., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Kristen Brustad
Associate Professor of Arabic and Associate Director of Arabic Program, University of Maryland, College Park
Zeina G. Halabi, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: Tarek El-Ariss
Associate Professor of Arabic Literature, American University, Beirut
Shon Hopkin, Ph.D., Hebrew Bible / Ancient Near East
Supervisors: Esther Raizen, Michael Harney
Associate Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University
Anita Husen, MA, Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Program Manager, Graduate Communities , Texas Career Engagement
Farkondeh Shayesteh, Ph.D., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: M.R. Ghanoonparvar
Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of Persian Language Program, Yale University
2010
Ahmad Aminpour, MA., Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
Supervisor: M.R. Ghanoonparvar
Ph.D. Candidate, History, The University of Texas at Austin
Britten Milliman, MA., Arabic Linguistics
Supervisor: Mahmoud Al-Batal
Arabic Teaching, Rutgers Preparatory School