Samuel White

I received my M.A. from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) in 2002 and my Ph.D. in history from Columbia University (New York) in 2008. I was assistant professor Oberlin College for five years before moving to Ohio State University, where I was promoted to tenured associate professor. My research encompasses topics in global environmental history, with a focus on reconstructing historical climates, human impacts and adaptations. My first monograph, The Climate of Rebellion (Cambridge University Press, 2011), demonstrated how population growth, ecological pressures, and climate fluctuations drove the crisis and transformation of the Ottoman Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries. It received major awards including the Middle East Studies Association Albert Hourani prize. My second monograph, A Cold Welcome (Harvard University Press, 2017) explores the role of climate in early European exploration and colonies in North America; it has received international recognition and awards. I have published more than two dozen chapters and articles in reviewed publications, including Environmental History and Interdisciplinary History. With Dagomar Degroot I founded and directed the Climate History Network, a growing interdisciplinary professional network for scholars working on historical climate reconstruction and impacts. As lead editor of the recent Palgrave Handbook of Climate History and steering committee member of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) Climate Reconstruction and Impacts from the Archives of Societies (CRIAS) working group, I have led efforts to coordinate and improved methods in global historical climatology.