Nicola Di Cosmo

Nicola Di Cosmo is the Luce Foundation Professor in East Asian Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, School of Historical Studies, where he has been a faculty member since 2003. A specialist in the history of relations between China and Inner Asia from prehistory to the modern period, he has made significant contributions to understanding nomadic empires, steppe cultures, and the application of climate science to historical research. His work bridges traditional historical methods with scientific approaches to illuminate previously obscured aspects of Central Asian history.

Di Cosmo's educational background includes a Ph.D. from Indiana University's Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies (now Central Eurasian Studies) in 1991 and a B.A. from Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia in 1982. His academic journey has taken him through prestigious institutions including the University of Cambridge (1989-1992 Research Fellow), Harvard University (1993-1999, where he progressed from Assistant to Associate Professor), and the University of Canterbury in New Zealand (1999-2003 Senior Lecturer) before joining the Institute for Advanced Study.

His research interests span the archaeology and early history of nomadic peoples in East and Central Asia, the rise and development of 'steppe empires,' and material and cultural exchanges between China and Inner Asia. More recently, he has pioneered the integration of paleoclimate data with historical analysis, exploring how environmental factors influenced major historical events such as the rise and fall of nomadic empires, Mongol military campaigns, and dynastic transitions in China. This interdisciplinary approach has opened new avenues for understanding human-environment interactions throughout history.

Di Cosmo's scholarly output reveals a consistent trajectory toward increasingly interdisciplinary work, with his recent publications heavily featuring collaborations with climate scientists, geologists, and ecologists. His articles demonstrate how climate variability has shaped historical events across Eurasia, from volcanic eruptions affecting medieval societies to long-term climate patterns influencing the rise and fall of empires. This work represents a significant methodological shift in historical studies, incorporating scientific data to provide more nuanced understandings of historical causality.

• 2001 New Zealand Royal Society, Marsden Fund Grant
• 1995 Harvard University, Milton Fund Grant for Research in the People's Republic of China
• 1992 Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, Research Fellowship
• 1990 Center for Chinese Studies, Taipei, Research Grant and Residency at Academia Sinica
• 1988 Institute of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Rome, Research Grant to study at the Research Institute of Asian and African Cultures, Tokyo

Throughout his career, Di Cosmo has secured significant research funding that has enabled extensive fieldwork and collaborative projects across Asia and Europe. His work on military history, particularly 'Military Culture in Imperial China' (2009) and 'Warfare in Inner Asian History' (2002), established him as a leading authority before his pivot toward climate history. He has organized influential interdisciplinary workshops, including 'DNA, History, and Archaeology' in 2010, demonstrating his commitment to bridging disciplinary divides. His current research continues to push boundaries through collaborations that integrate historical analysis with cutting-edge scientific methodologies.