I graduated from Miami University in 2011 with BAs in Classical Humanities and Classical Languages. The faculty at Miami gave me invaluable preparation for graduate work: I earned an MA in Classics with Latin emphasis from Columbia University in 2012, followed by a PhD in Classical Studies from the University of Missouri in 2018, where I also earned a doctoral minor in Ancient Studies by completing advanced coursework in Religious Studies, Philosophy, History, and Art History and Archaeology.

My scholarship focuses on the literary and societal roles that board games and games of chance played in the ancient Mediterranean. For example, my dissertation shows how Greek and Roman authors use games to answer complex questions about humanity and the relation of the self to the cosmos. I especially enjoy combining different types of evidence, particularly literature and material culture, to explore a detailed view of antiquity. My research has led to conference presentations in several countries, invited lectures, publications, and the creation of two new courses. I am continually grateful to Miami’s Classics faculty for first encouraging me to pursue my interest in ancient games, which has served as the foundation of my career.

Currently I am a Tutoring Coordinator at the University of Missouri Learning Center, where I hire, train, and supervise tutors for all courses in the arts, humanities, foreign languages, and life sciences. Along my journey, I won the Reserve Section of the 2012 Missouri chess championship and the 2014 Green Chalk Teaching Award. My greatest accomplishment, however, was marrying my wife, a high school music director and fellow Miami alum who married a graduate student—on purpose!