Background:

My formation in the humanities began through the 'Great Books' curriculum at St. John's College (Santa Fe, NM), where I earned my bachelor's in 2017. I then proceeded to postgraduate studies, first at Yale (M.A., Religion, 2019), then at Notre Dame (M.A., Italian, 2021).

Research:

My DPhil thesis revolves around Dante Alighieri’s doctrine of ‘universal nature’, which medieval scholastic philosophers conceived of as a quasi-transcendent force capable of interfering with ‘particular natures’ (individual tendencies that are characteristic of certain kinds of things) in order to achieve some greater harmony in the universe. I am interested in how Dante gained acquaintance with this doctrine, how he applies it throughout his corpus of writings, and what this tells us about his understanding of divine and natural causes.

My activities as a doctoral student at Oxford would not be possible were it not for the generosity of the Clarendon Fund and the Bounden Scholarship at Jesus College.

Publications:

"Universal Nature in the Convivio: A Philosophical Dossier," L'Alighieri 63 (Forthcoming 2024)

"Inferno 7: Virgilian Genesis," Le tre corone 9 (2022), 107-126.

Presentations:

“L'emergere della terra abitabile secondo il Dottrinale di Iacopo Alighieri,” Alma Dante Congresso Dantesco Internazionale, Ravenna (May 17-20, 2023)

“Natural Philosophy and Theology in Convivio IV.21 and the Quaestio,” Leeds International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds (July 5-7, 2022)

“Sì come l’occhio debole al sole: Variations of a Scholastic Topos,” Annual Dante Workshop, Rome Global Gateway, University of Notre Dame (May 11-13, 2022)

"The Hexameron from Brunetto to Dante," A Centenary Celebration of New Voices in UK and Irish Dante Studies, Universities of Cambridge and Oxford (November 12-13, 2021)

"Monteverdi's Canzoniere: The Petrarchan Framework of the Selva morale et spirituale," Institute of Sacred Music Colloquium, Yale University (November 28, 2018)

Panel Organisations:

[with Rebecca Bowen] “Esegesi artistica. Ricezioni poetiche e visive di Dante nei secoli XIV-XV,” Alma Dante Congresso Dantesco Internazionale, Ravenna (May 17-20, 2023)