Faculty List
Ari Adut
Assistant Professor
ariadut@austin.utexas.edu | 232-4284 | BUR 468
Education
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Interests
Political Sociology, Theory, Crime, Law, and DevianceKamran Aghaie
Associate Professor; Director, Center for Middle Eastern Studies
kamranaghaie@austin.utexas.edu | 475-6400 | WMB 6.102
Education
Ph.D., 1999, University of California at Los Angeles
Interests
Islamic studies, Shi'ism, modern Iranian and Middle Eastern history; secondary areas of interest: world history, historiography, religious studies, nationalism, gender studies and economic historyAzza M Ahmad
Lecturer
aahmad@austin.utexas.edu | 512-232-8292 | WMB 5.144
Education
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Interests
Teaching Arabic as a foreign language, second language acquisition, foreign language teaching methods, learners' motivation and teaching effectivenessMahmoud Al-Batal
Director- Arabic Flagship Program, Associate Professor
albatal@austin.utexas.edu | 471-3463 | WMB 6.138
Education
Ph.D.- 1985, Michigan- Ann Arbor
Interests
Teaching Arabic as a foreign languageKamran Asdar Ali
Associate Professor
asdar@austin.utexas.edu | 471-7531, 471-3550 | EPS 1.116
Education
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Interests
Gender, Health, Development, Labor History, Political Economy; Post-Colonialism;Samer Ali
Associate Professor
saali@austin.utexas.edu | 475-6467 | WMB 6.112
Education
Ph.D, Indiana University
Interests
Islamic kingship, court literature and patronage, classical historiography, modern and medieval folklore and folklife, Arab women poets, oral performance of Homeric epic, literary criticismGermine Awad
Assistant Professor
gawad@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-0526 | SZB 506H
Education
Ph.D., 2005, Psychology, Southern Illinois University - Carbindale
Interests
Attitude development expression: prejudice and discrimination, ethnic and racial identity, acculturation, immigration, and attitudes toward affirmative action beneficiaries.Hina Azam
Assistant Professor
hina.azam@austin.utexas.edu | 475-8393 (no voicemail - please call department to leave a message) | WMB 5.120A
Education
Ph.D.- 2007, Duke University
Interests
Islamic jurisprudence, theology, exegesis, hadith studies; Women/sexuality and Islam; Sexual Violence in Islamic LawAaron Bar-Adon
Professor
bar-adon@austin.utexas.edu | 471-3594 | WMB 6.132
Education
Ph.D., Hebrew University
Interests
Sociolinguistics and language acquisition; Hebrew and Arabic language, literature, and linguisticsZoltan Barany
Professor, Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Centennial Professor, Fellow of the Centennial Chair in the Liberal Arts
barany@austin.utexas.edu | 512.232.7231 | BAT 3.156
Education
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Interests
Civil-military relations, democratization, micro-statesJason Brownlee
Associate Professor
brownlee@austin.utexas.edu | 512-232-7304 | BAT 3.146
Education
Ph.D., Princeton University
Interests
Domestic and international processes of political emancipation.Kristen Brustad
Chair, DMES; Associate Professor
brustad@austin.utexas.edu | 471-9189 (no voicemail) | WMB 6.102
Education
Ph.D.- 1991, Harvard
Interests
Arabic language, dialects, syntax of spoken Arabic, language ideology, Arabic literatureMounira Charrad
Associate Professor
charrad@austin.utexas.edu | 232-6311 | CLA 3.526
Education
Ph.D., Harvard
Interests
Gender and women's rights, political sociology, development, comparative historical methodology, and the Middle East and North Africa.Yoav Di-Capua
Associate Professor
ydi@austin.utexas.edu | 512-475-7259 | GAR 0.122
Education
Ph.D., 2004, Princeton University
Interests
Modern Arab Intellectual HistoryRasha Diab
Asst Professor
rashadiab@austin.utexas.edu | 471-3280 | RAS 104
Education
Ph.D., Composition and Rhetoric, 2009, University of Wisconsin-MadisonDavid Eaton
Professor
eaton@austin.utexas.edu | 512.471.8972 | SRH 3.204
Interests
evaluation of energy and water conservation programs, joint management by Palestinians and Israelis of shared groundwater,new methods for evaluating and preventing air pollution emissionsTarek El-Ariss
Assistant Professor
tarek.elariss@austin.utexas.edu | 232-8291 | WMB 6.114
Education
Ph.D - 2004, Cornell
Interests
Contemporary Arabic Literature, Film, and Media; Arabic popular culture and new literary genres; 18th- and 19th-century travel writing; Post-structuralism and Affect TheoryLaila Familiar
Lecturer
laila@austin.utexas.edu | 471-0866 | WMB 6.150
Education
M.A. 2008, American University- Cairo
Interests
Teaching Arabic as a foreign languageHafez Farmayan
Professor Emeritus
Education
Ph.D., 1953, Georgetown University
Interests
Geographic Area of Study: Middle EastRobert A Fernea
Professor Emeritus
Education
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Interests
Southern Iraq, Egyptian Nubia, urban Morocco, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. Ethnographic film and masculinity. He is actively retired from teaching.W. Parker Frisbie
Professor Emeritus
frisbie@prc.utexas.edu | 471-8388 | MAI G1800
Education
Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Interests
the study of birth outcomes and infant mortality within and between race/ethnic groupsJennifer Gates-Foster
Assistant Professor
gatesfoster@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-1238 | WAG 21
Education
Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Interests
Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, the Hellenistic and Roman Near East, Achaemenid Art and ArchaeologyMohammad Ghanoonparvar
Professor
mghanoon@uts.cc.utexas.edu | 475-6605 | WMB 5.132
Education
Ph.D., University of Texas- Austtin
Interests
20th century Persian literature; comparative literary history and criticism; methodology and practice of literary translationKate Gillespie
Associate Professor
kate.gillespie@mccombs.utexas.edu | 512.471.5438 | CBA 7.258
Interests
International BusinessKaren Grumberg
Associate Professor
keren@austin.utexas.edu | 471-5134 | WMB 6.116
Education
Ph.D.- 2004, University of California- Los Angeles
Interests
Contemporary Hebrew literature and comparative Jewish literatures (Hebrew, French, English)Jo Ann Hackett
Professor and Graduate Adviser
hackett@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-6951 | West Mall Building 5.138
Education
Ph.D., Harvard UniversityHossein Haghshenas
Senior Lecturer
mehdiha@austin.utexas.edu | 232-8064 | BUR 539
Education
Ph.D., University of Texas at AustinBarbara Harlow
Professor
bharlow@austin.utexas.edu | 471-8716 | PAR 26
Education
Ph.D., 1977, SUNY- Buffalo
Interests
Imperialism and Orientalism, Literature and Human Rights/Social Justice, 19th Century Novel, European Novel, Middle East Studies, African Studies, The ''Global South''Geraldine Heng
Associate Professor
heng@mail.utexas.edu | 471-7480 | PAR 213
Education
Ph.D., Cornell University
Interests
iterary, cultural, and social encounters between worlds, and webs of exchange and negotiation between communities and cultures: gender, race, sexuality, and religion.Michael Hillmann
Professor
mchillmann@austin.utexas.edu | 475-6606 | WMB 5.146
Education
Ph.D.- 1974; M.A.-1997, The University of Chicago; Texas State University at San Marcos
Interests
Persian (Farsi and Tajiki) language and literature; Iranian art and culture; literary autobiography; lyric verseGhada Housen
Lecturer
ghadamohamad@utexas.edu | 512-471-3881 | WMB 6.150
Education
BA, Damascus UniversityJohn Huehnergard
Professor
huehnergard@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-7081 | WMB 5.140
Education
Ph.D. 1979, Harvard University
Interests
Semitic languages and linguistics; historical linguistics; writing systems; ancient Near Eastern historyS. Akbar Hyder
Associate Professor
shyder@austin.utexas.edu | 475-6031 | WCH 4.134
Education
Ph.D., Harvard University
Interests
Islam in South Asia, Urdu language and literature, Aesthetics in South Asian and the Middle East.Jonathan Kaplan
Faculty
jonathan.kaplan@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-9453 | WMB 6.114
Education
Ph.D. 2010, Harvard University
Interests
Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism, Midrash, Literary TheoryHarold Liebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Education
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Interests
Archaeology & art history of Israel in the Biblical & Greco-Roman periods; art & archaeology of the Ancient Near East, daily life in Ancient Israel; material culture & literature (Mishnah & Talmud)Wm. Roger Louis
Professor
britishstudies@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-9274 | HRC 3.202
Education
D.Phil., 1962, and D.Litt., 1979, Oxford University
Interests
The British Empire/Commonwealth and the history, literature, and politics of nineteenth and twentieth-century BritainIan Manners
Professor Emeritus
Education
Ph.D., Oxford University
Interests
Conservation and resource management, urban cultural geography, and historical cartography.Sofian Merabet
Assistant Professor
sofian.merabet@austin.utexas.edu | (512) 471-0057 | SAC 5.164
Education
Ph.D., Columbia University
Interests
Socio-Cultural Theory/Psychoanalysis/Urban Studies/Gender Studies/Queer Theory/Middle East, North Africa, and EuropeGail Minault
Professor
gminault@austin.utexas.edu | 512-475-7214 | GAR 3.118
Education
Ph.D., 1972, University of Pennsylvania
Interests
19th and 20th century history of India, including religion and politics, intellectual and social history, and women's movements.Mohammad Mohammad
Associate Professor, Arabic Program Coordinator
mamohammad@austin.utexas.edu | 475-6650 (no voicemail) | WMB 5.120
Education
Ph.D., University of Southern California
Interests
Linguistics and the Arabic languageFehintola (Tola) Mosadomi
Assistant Professor
mosadom@austin.utexas.edu | 471-7871 | WMB 5.120B
Education
Ph.D., 1998, Interdisciplinary Linguistics and Yoruba Phonology, Tulane University
Interests
Yoruba Language, Yoruba Cultures and History, Yoruba Women, Creole studiesStephennie Mulder
Assistant Professor
smulder@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-5851 | ART 3.428
Interests
Islamic Art and ArchitectureJames A Neely
Professor Emeritus
neely@mail.utexas.edu | 512-471-7529 | EPS 1.102
Education
Ph.D., University of Arizona
Interests
Prehistoric & early historic cultural development & culture change; processes of plant & animal domestication; development of urban life; ancient technology, Mexico, Iran.William R Nethercut
Professor
nethercut@austin.utexas.edu | 471-3839 | WAG 123
Education
Ph.D., Columbia University
Interests
Greek and Roman Literature, EgyptologyMary Neuburger
Associate Professor
burgerm@austin.utexas.edu | 512-475-7220 | GAR 3.410
Education
Ph.D., 1997, University of Washington
Interests
Modern eastern Europe with a specialization in southeastern Europe. Urban culture, consumption, commodity exchange, gender and nationalism.Martha G. Newman
Associate Professor, Chair- Department of Religious Studies
newman@austin.utexas.edu | 512-475-8660 | BUR 406 / GAR 3.408
Education
Ph.D., 1988, Stanford University
Interests
Monastic miracle collections and monastic attitudes toward women and the poor.Jeannette Okur
Lecturer
jeannette.okur@austin.utexas.edu | WMB 6.120
Education
Ph.D., Ankara University, 2007
Interests
late Ottoman and modern Turkish literature, teaching culture and literature in the foreign language classroom, comparative literature, translation studiesThomas G Palaima
Professor: Robert M. Armstrong Centennial Professor and Director, Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory (PASP)
tpalaima@austin.utexas.edu | 471-8837 | WAG 14AA
Education
Ph.D. 1980, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Interests
Aegean scripts & prehistory, Greek language, war & violence studies, public intellectual writing, music as social criticism, DylanologyAthanasio Papalexandrou
Assistant Professor
papalex@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-5021 | ART 3.404
Education
Ph.D., Princeton University
Interests
Early Greek Visual Culture, Interconnections between Greece & Near East, Art & Archaeology of Cyprus, Greek Sanctuaries. Art as a Means ofCommunication in Preliterate SocietiesNa'ama Pat-El
Assistant Professor
npatel@austin.utexas.edu | 232-8292 | WMB 5.144
Education
Ph.D.- 2008, Harvard University
Interests
Comparative Semitic Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, Syntax, Languages in Contact, Linguistic MethodologyGlenn Peers
Professor
gpeers@austin.utexas.edu | 512-232-2594 | DFA 2.508
Education
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Interests
Early Medieval and Byzantine ArtEsther Raizen
Associate Professor; Associate Dean for Research
raizen@austin.utexas.edu | GEB 3.212
Education
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Interests
Modern & classical Hebrew language, linguistics & literature; Hebrew as a foreign language; Jewish history & culture; Computer-assisted instruction & computational linguisticsAdi Raz
Clinical Assistant Professor
adi.raz@austin.utexas.edu | 475-6644 | WMB 5.140
Education
Ed.D.- 2009, Jewish Theological Seminary
Interests
Teaching Hebrew as a second language to students with language learning disabilities; Jewish educationHebatalla Salem
Research Fellow
hebasalem@aucegypt.edu | 512-471-3881 | WMB 6.140
Education
MA, American University in CairoSonia Seeman
Assistant Professor
stseeman@mail.utexas.edu | 512-471-2854 | MBE 3.204
Education
Ph.D., UCLA
Interests
Middle Eastern music & expressive culture; Roma ("Gypsy") & minority communities; former Ottoman territories of Southeastern Europe,cosmopolitanism; nationalism; gender.Faegheh Shirazi
Professor
fshirazi@uts.cc.utexas.edu | 232-9416 | WMB 6.128
Education
Ph.D., Ohio State University
Interests
Textiles and Clothing, particularly the Islamic veil (hijab), issues of women, rituals, and rites of passage as they relate to material culture in popular Islamic societies.Denise A. Spellberg
Associate Professor
spellberg@austin.utexas.edu | 512-475-7202 | GAR 3.208
Education
Ph.D., 1989, Columbia University
Interests
Medieval Islamic history, religion, and gender, Islamic historiography, and Islam in Europe and America.Cynthia Talbot
Associate Professor
ctalbot@austin.utexas.edu | 475-9303 | GAR 3.106
Education
PhD, 1988, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Interests
Social and cultural history of medieval and early modern India (ca. 1000-1750); historiography and historical memories, Hindu-Muslim relations.Hélène Tissières
Associate Professor
htissieres@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-5531 | HRH 3.114C
Education
Ph.D., New York University
Interests
African and Caribbean Francophone literatures, African and French film, African contemporary art, African music, Biennale of Dakar.L. Michael White
Professor, Ronald Nelson Smith Chair in Classics and Christian Origins
lmwhite@utexas.edu | 512-232-1438 | WAG 212
Education
Ph.D., Yale University
Interests
Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean & Middle East, New Testament and Christian Origins, Graeco-Roman ReligionsKarin Wilkins
Professor
karin.wilkins@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-2007 | WWH 409
Education
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Interests
Development and international communication, media and social change.Yetkin Yildirim
Faculty
yetkin@engr.utexas.edu | (512) 232-3084 | CTR 318, 3208 Red River
Education
Ph.D., University of Texas
Interests
Dispute resolution, New materials, Material characterization, Pavements, Pavement preservation, Transportation engineering, Engineering education, Online trainingAbraham Zilkha
Professor Emeritus
Education
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
