His doctoral dissertation, completed in 2018, focuses on the visual culture of Daoist ritual during the Ming period (1368–1644). The project entails a close study of an unusual handscroll painting from the seventeenth century that records and illustrates the canonization of a local god. Aaron’s analysis provides new insights into how local communities established ties with the Zhengyi Daoist institution in the late imperial period. In addition to his specialization in Chinese and Asian religions, his teaching and research interests include a range of broader topics, such as religion and visual culture; ritual and semiotics; and relationships between religion, aesthetics, and self-expression.