Dagmawi Woubshet has joined Penn as the inaugural Ahuja Family Presidential Associate Professor of English. A scholar of African American literature and visual culture, Dr. Woubshet comes to Penn from Cornell University, where he received Cornell’s highest honor for undergraduate mentoring and teaching, the Paul  Advising Award, in 2012, as well as being named one of “The 10 Best Professors at Cornell” in 2013 by Business Insider. He is the author of the book The Calendar of Loss: Race, Sexuality, and Mourning in the Early Era of AIDS, the co-edited volume Ethiopia: Literature, Art, and Culture, a special issue of Callaloo, and many essays, interviews and book chapters. Dr.  Woubshet is currently serving as associate editor of Callaloo and previously served on the Board of Directors of the Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS) at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.

The Ahuja Family Presidential Professorship was generously established in 2016 by Tania Maria Vital-Ahuja and Anilesh Ahuja, C’89, parents. Mr. Ahuja is a member of the Penn Arts and Sciences Board of Overseers and CEO, Chief Investment Officer, and Portfolio Manager of Premium Point Investments LP in New York. Ms. Vital-Ahuja is Managing Director (U.S. Operations) of Arkera and a member of the Center for Advanced Study of India’s International Advisory Board. In addition to establishing the professorship, the Ahujas generously support CASI, as well as graduate and visiting fellowships.