Hometown: Bethesda, Maryland

Research Interests: Religion in the contemporary Middle East, the relationship between resource scarcity and conflict, the history of Islam and Islamicate societies

Ian is a cum laude graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park with a bachelor's degree in Arabic Studies, and a finalist for the U.S. Department of State's Critical Language Scholarship. He is fascinated by the overlapping cultural, religious, ethnic, and political identities that exist and interact in the Middle East, as well as the role resource scarcity plays in shaping and exacerbating violent conflicts throughout the region and the world. He hopes to continue expanding his understanding of these subject areas and explore new areas of academic interest during his time in the MAAS program.