On Barak recently completed a Joint Ph.D. in History, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from NYU. His dissertation, "Egyptian Times: Temporality, Personhood and the Techno-Political Making of Modern Egypt, 1830-1930," explores the history of communication and transportation in Egypt, examining the introduction of new technologies such as the railway and telegraph, which generated unique practices of timekeeping, conviviality, and personhood. Barak also holds a Joint B.A. in Law, Arabic Language and Literature from Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and an M.A. in Islamic Studies from Leiden University, Netherlands. His undergraduate and graduate work were supported by numerous scholarships and awards, including an NSF dissertation grant and a Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Research Fellowship. Among Barak's numerous publications are several works of prose and poetry; translations of short stories, essays and poetry from both English and Arabic into Hebrew; and a study of Islamic chat rooms, "Names without Faces" (2006). In addition he has served as a news editor, literary critic, and legal correspondent for Israeli newspapers. He brings teaching experience in subjects such as "What is Islam?" and the "Emergence of the Modern Middle East." At Princeton he will teach courses in the History department, including a seminar on Postmodernity and the modern Middle East. During his tenure at the Society of Fellows, he will revise his dissertation for publication and launch a new research project on energy and empire.