Kimia Shahi

Kimia Shahi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History at the University of Southern California. Her research focuses on modern and American art, examining intersections of visual culture with environmental history, empire, and geography. She holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University (2021), an M.A. from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Her current projects include a book on 19th-century U.S. coastal representations and a new study on 1970s environmental art and policy. She has held fellowships at institutions including the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Harvard University Center for the Environment.

• Key Research Themes: Environmental humanities, transoceanic networks, landscape studies, empire studies
• Awards: 2019 PROSE Award for Excellence in Humanities
• Grants: 2021–23 Postdoctoral Fellowship (Harvard), Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars (2016–18)

Her interdisciplinary work bridges art history with environmental and geographic studies, analyzing how visual practices shape understandings of nature and power.