Christopher P. Iannini

Christopher P. Iannini is an Associate Professor of English at Rutgers University specializing in Colonial and Early American Literature, Nineteenth Century American Literature, Literature and Environment, and Literature and Science.

His research focuses on early American literature with particular emphasis on the history of natural history as a key intellectual obsession, scientific method, and literary practice in the Atlantic world from the early modern period through the mid nineteenth century. Iannini examines how natural history writing emerged from the context of Atlantic slavery and tropical commodity production, connecting these historical developments to the formal evolution of colonial prose narrative.

Iannini's scholarly contributions demonstrate significant trends in hemispheric approaches to American literature, particularly examining Caribbean influences on North American literary culture. His work bridges environmental humanities with historical analysis of colonial systems.

His notable awards include:

• American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship (2008-2009)
• Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, University of Pennsylvania (2004-2006)
• Alumni and Faculty Prize for the Most Distinguished Dissertation of the Year from the Ph.D. Program in English at the Graduate Center, CUNY (2004)

Iannini teaches undergraduate courses including Principles of Literary Study, Why We Tell Stories, Antebellum American Literature, and Literature and Environment. At the graduate level, he teaches courses on Natural Histories and Early American Literature. He maintains active membership in the American Studies Association, Society of Early Americanists, and Modern Language Association.