He has a PhD in Middle Eastern and North African Studies from the University of Arizona, where his research interests included cultural history, nation/state formation and the study of violence in the modern Middle East and North Africa. His dissertation research focused on youth clubs and street politics in mid-20th century Lebanon. He previously served as a research assistant for the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore(MEI-NUS) and the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon.