Kirschen received his doctorate in 2015 from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he focused his research on language contact and diglossia among the Sephardim of New York City and Los Angeles. At UCLA, he co-founded and directed ucLADINO, an organization promoting the knowledge and use of the Judeo-Spanish language(s). Kirschen has taught Judeo-Spanish language and culture, and has given lectures on related topics in a number of locations throughout the United States.