He was born and raised in the State of New Jersey, and received his PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. In addition to teaching Arabic and Aramaic language courses at AMESALL, he teaches content courses on the modern Middle East through the Middle Eastern Studies Program (MESP), and formerly directed the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES). He also serves as an Undergraduate Fulbright Faculty Advisor and member of the Advisory Committee for Study Abroad Programs in the Middle East at Rutgers. Together with James McGrath of Butler University, he received an NEH grant to translate the Mandaean Book of John in 2010.