Sunil Amrith (American Teacher) Age, Biography, Family

Quick Info

Profession	Teacher, Author, Historian
Nationality	American
Date of Birth	04/09/1979
Age	47 years
Birthplace	Nairobi, Kenya

Latest News about Sunil Amrith

01/03/2025

Sunil Amrith was appointed Henry R. Luce Director of Yale's Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies in March 2025. The appointment added to his existing Yale roles in history and environmental studies and expanded his leadership responsibilities in international and area studies.

01/01/2025

Amrith's book 'The Burning Earth' received the British Academy Book Prize in 2025. The award recognized the book's global environmental history of the last 500 years and its examination of how colonization, industrialization, and environmental change have shaped the modern world.

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Bio/Wiki

Full Name	Sunil S. Amrith

Physical Stats & More

Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

College/University	University of Cambridge, England
Degrees	B.A. in History (October 1997 to June 2000) Ph.D. in History (October 2001 to June 2005)

Personal Life

Marital Status	Married
Wife	Ruth Coffey
Children	Son: Theodore Daughter: Lydia Rupa

Family

Father	Banker
Mother	Eye Surgeon
Siblings	Sister: Megha Amrith (Anthropologist)
Spouse	Ruth Coffey
Children	Theodore Lydia Rupa

Career

Overview	Sunil Amrith is the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University, with a secondary appointment as Professor at the Yale School of the Environment. His research focuses on the movements of people and the ecological processes that have connected South and Southeast Asia, and has expanded to global environmental history.
Achievements	In 2006, he transitioned to a Senior Lecturer and Reader in Modern Asian History at Birkbeck, University of London, a position he held until 2015. His scholarly contributions have been recognized by numerous accolades, including the Infosys Prize in Humanities (2016), MacArthur Fellowship (2017), and the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for History (2022). Amrith has published influential works such as 'Decolonising International Health,' 'Unruly Waters,' and 'The Burning Earth,' the latter of which earned the British Academy Book Prize in 2025. In 2015, he moved to the United States, where he initially became the Mehra Family Professor at Harvard University, and later accepted a role at Yale University, where he now serves as a Professor of the Environment and Vice Provost for International Affairs. In March 2025, he became the Henry R. Luce Director of Yale's Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. He holds the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University, with a secondary appointment as Professor at the Yale School of the Environment. Elected International Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2024. His scholarly contributions have been recognized by the Infosys Prize in Humanities (2016), MacArthur Fellowship (2017), the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for History (2022), and election as an International Fellow of the British Academy (2024). Amrith has published influential works such as 'Decolonising International Health,' 'Unruly Waters,' and 'The Burning Earth'; 'The Burning Earth' was a finalist for the 2025 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize and was named a 2024 essential read by The New Yorker and a 2024 book we love by NPR. He serves as the Henry R. Luce Director of Yale's Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, a role he assumed in March 2025. He holds the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professorship of History at Yale University, with a secondary appointment as Professor at the Yale School of the Environment. His work on environmental history and migration has been recognized by major academic institutions and prizes across the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe.

Overview

Sunil Amrith is the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University, with a secondary appointment as Professor at the Yale School of the Environment. His research focuses on the movements of people and the ecological processes that have connected South and Southeast Asia, and has expanded to global environmental history.

Achievements

In 2006, he transitioned to a Senior Lecturer and Reader in Modern Asian History at Birkbeck, University of London, a position he held until 2015.
His scholarly contributions have been recognized by numerous accolades, including the Infosys Prize in Humanities (2016), MacArthur Fellowship (2017), and the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for History (2022).
Amrith has published influential works such as 'Decolonising International Health,' 'Unruly Waters,' and 'The Burning Earth,' the latter of which earned the British Academy Book Prize in 2025.
In 2015, he moved to the United States, where he initially became the Mehra Family Professor at Harvard University, and later accepted a role at Yale University, where he now serves as a Professor of the Environment and Vice Provost for International Affairs.
In March 2025, he became the Henry R. Luce Director of Yale's Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies.
He holds the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University, with a secondary appointment as Professor at the Yale School of the Environment.
Elected International Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2024.
His scholarly contributions have been recognized by the Infosys Prize in Humanities (2016), MacArthur Fellowship (2017), the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for History (2022), and election as an International Fellow of the British Academy (2024).
Amrith has published influential works such as 'Decolonising International Health,' 'Unruly Waters,' and 'The Burning Earth'; 'The Burning Earth' was a finalist for the 2025 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize and was named a 2024 essential read by The New Yorker and a 2024 book we love by NPR.
He serves as the Henry R. Luce Director of Yale's Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, a role he assumed in March 2025.
He holds the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professorship of History at Yale University, with a secondary appointment as Professor at the Yale School of the Environment.
His work on environmental history and migration has been recognized by major academic institutions and prizes across the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe.

Favourites

Music	Jazz

Social Media

Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/amrith_historian/
Twitter	https://x.com/sunilamrith
LinkedIn	https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunil-amrith-0b742a333/
Official Website	https://www.sunilamrithauthor.com/

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Sunil Amrith's parents were originally from India, with his father hailing from Jamshedpur and his mother from Thanjavur.
2. His family migrated from India to Kenya before later moving to Singapore, where he spent much of his childhood.
3. During his upbringing, Amrith traveled extensively across India and Southeast Asia, which sparked his interest in cultural interactions.
4. He has authored several books that explore environmental and migration histories, significantly contributing to the understanding of how these elements shape societies.
5. His role at Harvard University included leadership positions in the Joint Centre for History and Economics and the Mahindra Humanities Center.

Sunil Amrith Teacher, Author, Historian American Nairobi, Kenya