Fayyaz A. Vellani is a Lecturer in Critical Writing, Faculty Mentor of the College House Research Program, and Hill College House Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a geographer with research specializations in geopolitics, disability studies, writing studies and sustainable development. While serving as Head of the Department of Graduate Studies for the Institute of Ismaili Studies from 2010 to 2013, he worked in Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. Dr. Vellani’s book Understanding Disability Discrimination Law Through Geography was published by Ashgate in 2013 and Routledge in 2016. His research has appeared journals such as Disability and Society and the International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities & Nations. His article, “Engagement with Place: Cairo as Classroom”, which analyzed events and discourses related to the Arab Spring, won the International Journal of Diversity’s International Award for Excellence in 2016.