Elizabeth A. Cecil

Elizabeth A. Cecil is the Timothy Gannon Associate Professor of Religion at Florida State University (FSU), within the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from Brown University's Religious Studies program. Her research focuses on the history of Hindu religions in South and Southeast Asia, emphasizing intersections of text, image, monument, and landscape. She is a primary Research Collaborator in the European Research Council's PURANA project and co-editor-in-chief of the open-access journal PURANA Media. Additionally, she co-directs the More-than-human Religion project, exploring nonhuman agency in religious contexts.

Her scholarly contributions include books like Mapping the Pāśupata Landscape (2020) and Primary Sources and Asian Pasts (2021). Her research has been supported by prestigious grants from the Getty Foundation, ACLS, and NEH. Recent articles highlight environmental and epigraphic studies in early West Java, Śaiva traditions in South and Southeast Asia, and temple architecture's material dimensions.

Cecil’s work bridges archaeology, religious studies, and history, often analyzing inscriptions and monuments to reconstruct ancient religious practices and landscapes. She collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, such as the Material Texts journal issue, exploring religion and mobility. Her academic roles include advising on FSU’s Native American and Indigenous Studies initiatives.