Advisor: Dr. Sarah Waheed

Education: BA in Psychology from USC

Aidan has lived in Columbia for the last six years and earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in History from USC. Aidan can speak three languages and enjoys dancing bhangra (a folk dance from the Panjab), reading Urdu and Arabic poetry, and listening to global music. Aidan’s work is multidisciplinary and investigates public space and belonging using frameworks and methods from History, Anthropology, Geography, Religious Studies, and Urban Studies.

Aidan loves to explore the world, and has travelled to India four times for work, education, family, and research. He has traversed much of the country but has spent the majority of his time in the cities of Lucknow and Hyderabad. He was awarded the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship in 2025 and USC’s SPARC and Walker Institute Travel Grants in 2026. Aidan’s MA thesis explores dargahs (Sufi saint shrines) as sites of Public History Hyderabad. Using archival, oral, and spatial research methods, Aidan is investigating how common people learn and reshape their city’s history by visiting institutions of Popular Islam.

You can read more about dargahs, history, and current events on Aidan’s blog: Shokhi-e-Tahreer.