David DiValerio

David DiValerio is Associate Professor of History and Religious Studies at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he directs the Religious Studies Program. His research examines Tibetan Buddhist practices, particularly ascetic traditions and meditative retreat.

Education

• PhD in Religious Studies, University of Virginia
• MA in Religious Studies, University of Virginia
• BA in Religious Studies, Wesleyan University

DiValerio's scholarship reconstructs the history of tantric and ascetic practices in Tibetan Buddhism through textual analysis and fieldwork. His research explores how notions of personhood have evolved within meditative traditions from the 12th to 20th centuries. Current fieldwork documents contemporary three-year retreat practices across global Tibetan Buddhist communities.

He teaches courses on Buddhism, Tibetan religious traditions, saints and sainthood, and theories of religion, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to religious studies.

Research Projects

• Contemporary three-year tantric retreat practices (fieldwork in Tibet, Nepal, Portugal, France, US)
• Translation of 'The Scholar's Feast' Buddhist history text