Mehak F Khan

Dr. Mehak F Khan is an Assistant Professor of Global Anglophone Literature at the University of Notre Dame's Department of English, affiliated with Gender Studies and the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. She holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (2023) and a B.A. from NYU (2014). Her research focuses on South Asian literature, game studies, and queer/postcolonial theories, with a signature project exploring 'ajeeb aesthetics'—a framework integrating affect, queer, and aesthetic theories to analyze strangeness in contemporary Pakistani culture.

Education: Ph.D. in English with Critical Theory emphasis from UC Berkeley (2023); B.A. in English and Game Design from NYU (2014).

Research emphasizes transnational narratives, untranslatable concepts, and digital cultural forms. Current projects examine state failure through game logics and speculative fiction editing via Tasavvur magazine. Awards include UC Berkeley's Dissertation Completion Fellowship and Simpson Fellowship.

Teaching spans global literature, gender studies, and creative writing. Recent courses include Feeling Strange: Gender, Sexuality and the Global South and Quarter Century Crisis: The Global Novel Today.