Yale University has appointed historian Sunil Amrith as the new director of the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, effective March 1. Announced by Provost Scott Strobel on Wednesday, Amrith will bring his expertise in human migration and global environmental history, particularly focusing on South and Southeast Asia, to the prestigious center.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the role, Amrith described it as an “honor and a privilege.” He highlighted the MacMillan Center’s significant influence on Yale’s academic landscape and expressed his commitment to fostering global perspectives across campus. He looks forward to collaborating with the center’s faculty and staff to further its mission as a hub for international research.
Currently, Amrith serves as the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and is also a professor at the Yale School of the Environment. Since 2020, he has chaired the MacMillan Center’s Council on South Asian Studies, overseeing strategic initiatives, programming, and research funding. Under his leadership, the council has strengthened its position as a leading institution for South Asian studies, covering topics from classical literature to climate and sustainability. Additionally, he has provided critical insights as a member of the center’s Review Committee on Global Programs and contributed to the selection process for the deputy director.
Provost Strobel praised Amrith’s contributions, noting that his guidance on strategic priorities and policy issues has been invaluable to Yale since his arrival. Established in the 1960s as the Concilium on International and Area Studies, the MacMillan Center has long been a key resource for global scholarship at Yale.
Before joining Yale in 2020, Amrith was a faculty member at Harvard University, where he co-directed the Joint Center for History and Economics. In this role, he led a fellowship program uniting economists, political scientists, and historians while managing the center’s finances. He also served as interim director of the Mahindra Humanities Center, guiding it through leadership transitions and pandemic challenges.
Amrith is a celebrated author, with his book The Burning Earth: A History recognized as one of The New Yorker’s “Essential Reads of 2024” and translated into 10 languages. His numerous accolades include the 2017 MacArthur Fellowship, the 2024 Fukuoka Academic Prize, and the 2022 Dr. A.H. Heineken Prize for History. In 2023, he was elected an International Fellow of the British Academy.
