Selected for the 2026-27 class of fellows at the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

In March 2026, I received the excellent news that I had been selected for the 2026-27 class of fellows at the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. As a three-month fellow, I will work on a side project titled “George Washington and New Spain: Diplomacy, Frontier Policy, and the Pacific Trade.”

The project examines George Washington’s interactions—both direct and indirect—with the Spanish territories of New Spain during the early Republic, focusing on diplomacy, western expansion, and economic strategy. While scholarship on Washington’s relationship with Spain has mainly focused on his relationship with the Court in Madrid, U.S. territorial pursuits in Florida, and navigation rights on the Mississippi River, my research centers on his connections to the Viceroyalty of New Spain and its colonial administration, with particular attention to U.S. trade interests in the Pacific.

Member of the Research Team European Published Sources on the American Revolution

As a member of the EPSAR Team (European Published Sources on the American Revolution), which is part of the larger AMERICA 2026 Consortium, an international research project directed by colleagues in Paris, France, I am responsible for Spain. More specifically, I am in charge of examining how the American Revolution has been portrayed in Spanish contemporary publications within specific time frames. The ongoing results of my research, as well as the work of other colleagues in charge of other European countries, will be presented at the AMERICA 2026 conference in Paris, October 14-16, 2026.

Visiting Senior Researcher at the Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) in Ljubljana, Slovenia

The Institute of Cultural History at the Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has invited me to serve as a Short-Term Visiting Senior Researcher through a program specifically aimed at fostering effective, long-term collaboration and strengthening international research connections. I will be spending one month in early fall 2026, working on my main project “Bridging Past and Present: History Diplomacy in Global Affairs” and dedicating some time to the impact of the American Revolution in Europe.

The main project explores how historical events, analogies, and narratives are used in diplomatic discussions and how these influences can shape policymaking. It argues that understanding history is crucial for making informed choices in international relations, recognizing that the past informs the present and can provide valuable lessons for navigating complex foreign policy challenges. The side project looks at Slovenia's connection to Thomas Jefferson and the American Revolution.

David Center for the American Revolution International Fellowship

In May 2026, I was awarded the David Center for the American Revolution International Fellowship to conduct archival research in support of my project, Growing Entanglements: New Spain and the Challenge of U.S. Independence, 1769–1783.

My research at the David Center, located at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, examines how the political crisis in British North America reshaped imperial governance, diplomatic practices, and frontier policies in New Spain. From a Western perspective, it analyses how Spanish officials interpreted and responded to the rise of an independent United States. Although the Spanish Court’s strategic interest in supporting the Patriots as a means of countering the British Empire has been widely studied, the Pacific perspective on the American Revolution has not received sufficient attention.

Spain and the American Revolution: Opportunities, challenges, and risks

In June 2026, I contributed to the Summer School “European views of the American Revolution, 1776-1804,” held at the University of Strasbourg, France. Organized jointly by the University’s American Studies Program, the AMERICA 2026 program, and the Great Questions Foundation, the event brought together students from various European countries and the United States to reflect on the American Revolution’s impact on Europe. My contribution focused on explaining, from a Global History perspective, Spain’s motivation for supporting the Patriots and the risks it incurred to its own interests as a colonial power.