He previously held a position at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). His book, entitled A History of Race in Muslim West Africa, 1600-1960 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011), was the co-winner of the 2012 Martin Klein Prize from the American Historical Association for best book in English on African History. He has also published articles in the Journal of African History, Journal of North African Studies, and International Journal of African Historical Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005.