David Gerlach

David Gerlach serves as Associate Professor and Chair of the History Department at Saint Peter's University, concurrently directing the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. His scholarship centers on post-World War II transformations in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly examining economic dimensions of ethnic cleansing and forced migration.

Dr. Gerlach earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in History from the University of Pittsburgh and his B.A. in History from Boston College.

His research interrogates how property relations, memory politics, and identity formation intersected during population transfers in German-Czech borderlands after 1945. He analyzes economic motives behind Sudeten German expulsions and explores material culture of Jewish loss in post-Holocaust Central Europe, emphasizing how displacement reshaped regional societies through environmental, demographic, and social lenses.

Gerlach's publications (2007-2019) reveal consistent focus on borderland transformations, with increasing attention to memory studies and material culture. His work bridges economic history with cultural analysis, examining how forced migration created enduring legacies in property rights, minority relations, and national narratives across Czechoslovakia and neighboring regions.

His scholarly contributions have received significant recognition:

• Richard M. Hunt Fellowship for German Politics/Society/Culture (American Council on Germany, 2016-2017)
• Research Grant from Conference Group for Central European History (2010-2011)
• R. John Rath Prize for Best Article (Austrian History Yearbook, 2007)
• Best Dissertation in Austrian Studies (Austrian Cultural Forum, 2006-2007)

As an educator, Gerlach teaches specialized courses including History of Russia (1613-1917), The Soviet Empire, History of Germany (1815-1945), and Bearing Witness to War and Genocide. His Richard M. Hunt Fellowship supported research on property-memory intersections in post-WWII Central Europe, reflecting his commitment to securing external funding for innovative historical inquiry.

Through leadership of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gerlach fosters interdisciplinary research on genocide prevention, remembrance practices, and educational outreach programs addressing historical trauma and reconciliation processes.