Professor Brooke Blower, Chair of the Department, Named Jon Westling Professor of History
The Jon Westling Professorship in History is awarded to an outstanding faculty member working in any subfield of history. Established through the philanthropic support of Trustee Emeritus Richard B. DeWolfe and other donors, the professorship honors former Boston University President and Professor of History Jon Westling. The professorship was most recently held by Nina Silber, […]
Professor Ben Siegel Publishes Opinion Piece in New York Times
Professor Ben Siegel published a guest essay in the New York Times on Wednesday, May 13th. He argues that Purdue Pharma’s long-overdue collapse will not bring order to a global opioid system built on the rubble of empires, and shaped by geopolitics and chemistry of another era. He shares some of his thoughts on the ways that […]
Dr. Keara Sebold (GRS ’26) Receives Postdoctoral Position at Florida State University
Dr. Keara Sebold (GRS ’26) will be the Dean’s Postdoctoral Scholar in History at Florida State University. Keara will be teaching, conducting research and archival work, assessing WWII-related collections. Please join the department in congratulating Keara on this wonderful achievement!
Past and Present PhDs Present at the 2026 Britain and the World Conference
Many of the department’s past and present PhDs presented at this year’s Britain and the World conference, held at Northeastern this past weekend (April 24-25, 2026). Please see the below photo of (L-R) Professor Arianne Chernock, Tom Sojka, Rachel Monsey, Courteney Smith, Margot Rashba and Elizabeth Grumer.
Professor Phillip Haberkern Receives the CAS Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching
Professor Phillip Haberkern has just been named this year’s recipeint of the CAS Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching. This is an incredible recognition of his skills, not only in the classroom, but also in his pedagogical leadership in our department. These awards are given annually to members of the CAS faculty who exemplify deep and […]
Courteney Smith (GRS ’25) Hired as Assistant Professor of History at St. Bonaventure University
Please join the department in congratulating Courteney Smith (GRS ’25) who accepted a position as Assistant Professor of History at St. Bonaventure University beginning in Fall 2026. She has been an incredible student, Teaching Fellow, and Lecturer for the department, and we wish her the best!
Tom Sojka (GRS’24) appointed Reviews Editor at The London Journal
Tom Sojka (GRS’24) has been appointed as the Modern Book Reviews Editor (1800-Present) at The London Journal, where he will also serve on the Editorial Board. Tom welcomes submissions of reviews of London-focused books and original research from BU History PhD candidates.
Professor Chepchirchir Tirop Featured in Arts and Sciences Magazine
Professor Chepchirchir Tirop was recently interviewed for Arts and Sciences Magazine. The article, titled “For a Scholar of History, Running is an Exercise of Intellect”, can be found here! https://www.bu.edu/cas/arts-sciences/article/for-a-scholar-of-history-running-is-an-exercise-of-intellect/
Cady Steinberg, History Department Administrator, Wins the 2026 John S. Perkins Award for Distinguished Service
Every year, the Faculty Council honors members of the University who have served BU with great distinction with the John S. Perkins Award for Distinguished Service. These awards, presented annually by the council to three members of the Boston University family, are in recognition of distinguished services to the University. Please join the department in congratulating […]
Liam Cronan (MA/JD ’23) Publishes New Research Paper
Liam Cronan JD, a former MA/JD graduate student in the History Department, now an Associate at the Law Firm Ropes & Gray LLP in Boston, recently published his research paper “Of Property and Pilgrims: The Myth of Communal Property and the Realities of Corporate Charters and Land Tenures in Plymouth Colony” in the St. Mary’s Law […]