Emma is a first year doctoral candidate in the History of Art and Archaeology department at Columbia University. Her primary area of focus is western medieval art. She is especially interested in secular objects, and notably in the medium of ivory. In her dissertation, she hopes to study the self-referentiality of this medium in objects such as chess pieces, combs, and mirror cases. Methodologically, Emma is interested in questions of materiality and phenomenology, and in how these intersect in the realm of the body. Prior to studying at Columbia, Emma completed her Bachelor of Arts at McGill University.