Graduate Advising

Transregional Eurasia

I mentor graduate students studying transregional Eurasia. In practice, this means that I tend to offer training for students situated at the eastern edge of the history department’s Europe cluster, or at the western periphery of its Asia field.

Recent doctoral work I have advised has ranged widely. I have served on committees for dissertations on gender and factory life in late Soviet Kazakhstan; on environmental history in Mongol-era China; on the Communist International and twentieth-century European political networks; and on travel and spatial history in the Russian–Chinese borderlands.

Current and past students looking for a recommendation letter — which I am always happy to provide — should consult these guidelines.

Prospective graduate students should refer to the History Department website (and take note of Pitt’s generous application fee waiver policy). If you are considering pursuing a doctoral degree in history, it is critical to first understand the state of the humanities in contemporary US universities, and to develop a clear idea of what you hope to get out of the experience, along with a backup plan. This post provides superb advice for writing a strong personal statement. I have provided some subjective answers of my own to frequently asked questions on these and related topics.