I am a scholar of nineteenth-century US literature and culture and the environmental humanities. I specialize in oceanic studies and the blue humanities, Arctic and polar literature and culture, book history, and Herman Melville.

I teach at Washington University in St. Louis, where I am the Lynne Cooper Harvey Distinguished Professor of English and Professor of Environmental Studies (Courtesy Affiliation). I’ve published several books on the literary cultures of sailors and polar voyages; my essays have appeared in academic and public-facing venues alike. I am a past Guggenheim Fellow, among other honors.

In recent years I have turned from archival exploration in libraries to edge experiences in the Arctic and Antarctica. More information about my academic publications, public-facing essays, research travels, and teaching is available on this website, as well as a longer bio.