What is your field of research – briefly described?

I am a historian, focusing on the histories of exchange, trade, religion, knowledge, disease and technolgies. My primary regions of expertise are those connected by what are often known as the Silk Roads: the connections and networks that tie Scandinavia to the Gulf, the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean, China and the Middle East. In more recent times, I have widened my geographic lens to look at the Americas before the Columbian exchange; at Southeast Asia and the Pacific; and west and sub-Saharan Africa. I am involved in policy planning in several areas, including water rights and glacier retreat in Central Asia; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; tariff wars; and socio-economic and political change in South Asia.

What are the challenges in your field of research?

Two things: first, the shortage of incentives for colleagues in European institutions to look beyond familar subjects. With a small handful of (absolutely outstanding) exceptions, a more vibrant community of early career scholars, and a slate of established and fully funded posts/projects could help transform my fields in Europe. The world is in the process of some dramatic and challenging transformations: academics can and perhaps should be more involved in discussions and policy making of how to provide optimal policies and mitigation. Doing inter-regional, interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary studies is absolutely thrilling. The new kinds of materals that historians are able to use for their work are breathtaking in scale and implication. It is an astonishingly exciting time to be a historian: but it also means learning about DNA materials, becoming comfortable with data, phylogenetic trees, climate science and more. Acquiring those skills is not easy; but nor is learning how to collaborate: that is a major difference between the sciences – where group work comes naturally, adn where early career scholars are trained how to work in teams – and the humanities. Those of us in the latter have much to learn.

Why is this research field particularly interesting?

It is a joy – I really mean it – to wake up in the morning and to work on understanding the past. Some days, I am reading about volcanic eruptions and how they help explain the rise of the Viking age, others, I’m on Arabic guidebooks from a thousand years ago that explain where to buy the tastiest plus; or on others, I’m working Chinese white papers that set out new national security policies. What a privilege to spend my life doing this.

What do you expect from your membership of the Royal Academy?

It is such an honour to be a member. I learned a long time ago that the best thing to expect is to find a chance to listen to other people share their expertise, knowledge and generosity of their curiosity.

Tell a bit about the person behind the researcher.

I drink a lot of coffee; I wish I slept more. I love sitting in the sunshine with friends and family around me, chatting about each or all of us find interesting. I used to be good at a handful of sports; I was once a handy musician once sang at Wembley Stadium to more people than the Rolling Stones: admittedly they had come to see the Pope. But they had to listen to me (and my 23 fellow choirboys)