He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2001 and his doctorate in economics from the University of California-Irvine in 2007. His primary research interests are monetary and macroeconomics, economic history, and financial crises. His current research focuses on monetary policy and bank behavior during historical business cycles, and the international transmission of financial crises. He has published in the Journal of Economic History, Economic History Yearbook, and Essays in Economic and Business History.