I am an indologist specialized in the history and literature of classical Indian medicine (Ayurveda) and iatrochemistry (rasaśāstra), and South Asian history.
In 2015 I was awarded an ERC Starting Grant for a project entitled "Medicine, Immortality, Moksha: Entangled Histories of Yoga, Ayurveda and Alchemy in South Asia.
The project examines the histories of yoga, ayurveda and rasaśāstra (Indian alchemy and iatrochemistry) from the tenth century to the present, focussing on the disciplines' health, rejuvenation and longevity practices. The goals of the project are to reveal the entanglements of these historical traditions, and to trace the trajectories of their evolution as components of today's global healthcare and personal development industries.
The project will be carried out by a team of three postdoctoral researchers at the department for South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at Vienna University, Austria and at Inform, Inform, London, U.K..
Theories and practices of ancient and medieval alchemy in its historical and cultural contexts.
Fall Term 2021A survey of the history of India from the close of the Gupta and Vakataka kingdoms in the fifth century CE to the decline of the Delhi Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire in the sixteenth century CE.
Winter Term 2022An introduction to the major religious traditions originating in South and East Asia, including, but not limited to, Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. Note: not open to students with credit in RELIG 101.
Winter Term 2022Introduction to the foundational texts, esoteric rituals, and sexual alchemy associated with Tantric practices in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain contexts.
Fall Term 2021