Vasfiye Betül Toprak holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Virginia and an MA in Global and Sociocultural Studies from Florida International University. She brings first-year teaching and mentorship experience to this role, notably through her work in ‘The Engagements’ GenEd program at the University of Virginia where she was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer. Her research uses historical and comparative analysis to explore how politics and culture interact, and the role that this relationship plays in the making of modern states. She has articles in the European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology and under review by the American Journal of Cultural Sociology that inform her book in progress, Racialization of Islam in the Middle East: From Empire to Nation-State. When she is not teaching or researching, Vasfiye enjoys exploring new local communities and taking part in their events, cabin stays, and finding the best reading spots in bookshops and coffee shops.