He is a historian of the African Diaspora who explores the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds from the early modern period to the present. A recipient of a Teaching Excellence Award in The College of Arts & Sciences, Ali is a Road Scholar for the North Carolina Humanities Council, and is on the advisory board of the Beyond Academics Program, serving students with intellectual disabilities at UNCG. Finally, he regularly leads professional development workshops for faculty and staff on using improvisation, performance, and play in the workplace. His latest book project is entitled Malik Ambar: Abyssinian Defender of India's Deccan, under contract with Oxford University Press. A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, he received his Ph.D. in History from Columbia University. He and his little family have been living in Greensboro since 2010. Paul Silvia